Corea; or, Cho-sen, the land of the morning calm

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CO RE A

OR CHO-SEN

CO R EA

OR CHOSEN

THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM

BY

A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR

AUTHOR OF

" ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU "

With Numerous Text and Full-Page Illustrations
from Drawings made by the Author

LONDON -

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WILLIAM H EI N EM ANN.

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1895

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[All rights reserved]

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BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION

5 bumble S)c&fcatc

THIS WORK

TO

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

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^2082

PREFACE

In this book I have sought to present the reader with
some dry facts about Corea and the Coreans. I have
attempted to describe the manners and customs of the
people as accurately as possible from the impressions
which my visit to their country left upon me, but of
course I do not claim that these personal opinions ex-
pressed are absolutely infallible. My sojourn extended
over several months, and I never during all that time
neglected any opportunity of studying the natives,
giving my observations as they were made a perma-
nent form by the aid both of pen and of brush. I was
afforded specially favourable chances for this kind of
work through the kind hospitality shown me by the
Vice-Minister of Home Affairs and Adviser to the
King, Mr. C. R. Greathouse, to whom I feel greatly
indebted for my prolonged and delightful stay in
the country, as well as for the amiable and valuable

viii PREFACE

assistance which he and General Le Gendre, Foreign
Adviser to His Corean Majesty, gave me in my obser-
vations and stuches among the upper classes of Corea.
I am also under great obligations to Mr. Seradin
Sabatin, Architect to His Majesty the King, and to
Mr. Krien, German Consul at Seoul, for the kindness
and hospitality with which they treated me on my first
arrival at their city.

The illustrations in this book are reproductions
of sketches taken by me while in the country, and
though, perhaps, they want much in artistic merit, I
venture to hope that they will be found characteristic.

For literary style I hope my readers will not look.
I am not a literary man, nor do I desire to profess
myself such. I trust, however, that I have succeeded
in telling my story in a simple and straightforward
manner, for this especially was the object with which I
started at the outset.

A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

Christmas on board — Fusan — A body-snatcher — The Kiung-sang Pro-
vince— The cotton production — Body-snatching extraordinary —
Imperatrice Gulf— Chemulpo Pp. i — 15

/ CHAPTER n

Chemulpo — So-called European hotels — Comforts — ^Japanese conces-
sion—The Giiechas — New Year's festivities — The Chinese settle-
ment— European residents — The word " Corea " — A glance at
Corean history — Chosen Pp. 16 — 31

CHAPTER ni

The road to Seoul — The Mapu — Ponies — Oxen — Coolies— Currency
— Mode of carrj'ing weights — The Han River — Nearly locked
out Pp. 32—44

CHAPTER IV

The Coreans — Their faces and heads — Bachelors — Married men —
Head-band— Hats— Hat-umbrellas — Clothes — Spectacles

Pp. 45—58

X CONTENTS

CHAPTER V

The Woman of Cho-sen— Her clothes — Her ways — Her looks — Her
privileges— Her duties— Her temper— Difference of classes— Femi-
nine musicians Pp. 59 — 77

CHAPTER VI

Corean children — The family — Clans — Spongers — H ospitality —
Spinning-tops — Toys — Kite-flying — Games — How babies are sent
to sleep Pp. 78 — 89

CHAPTER Vn

Corean inns— Seoul — A tour of observation — Beggars— Lepers — Phil-
osophy— An old palace — A leopard hunt — Weather prophets— The
main street — Sedan chairs — The big bell — Crossing of the bridges
— Monuments — Animal worship— The Gate of the Dead — A funeral
— The Queen-dowager's telephone . . . Pp. 90 — 123

CHAPTER VHI

Seoul — The City Wall — A large image— Mount Nanzam — The fire-
signals — The women's joss-house — Foreign buildings — Japanese
settlement — An anecdote — Clean or not clean ? — The Pekin Pass
— The water-carrier — The man of the Gates . Pp.124 — 135

CHAPTER IX

The Corean house — Doors and windows — Blinds — Rooms — The " Kan "
— Roasting alive — Furniture — Treasures — The kitchen — Dinner-
set — Food — Intoxicants — Gluttony — Capacity for food — Sleep —
Modes of illumination — Autographs— Streets— Drainage — Smell

Pp. 136—150

CONTENTS xi

CHAPTER X

A Corean marriage— How marriages are arranged — The wedding cere-
mony— The document — In the nuptial chamber — Wife's conduct —
Concubines — Widows — Seduction — Adultery — Purchasing a hus-
band— Love — Intrigue — Official " squeezing " — The cause

Pp. 151— 164

CHAPTER XI

Painting in Seoul — Messages from the King — Royal princes sitting for
their portraits — Breaking the mourning law — Quaint notions —
Delight and despair — Calling in of State ceremony — Corean sol-
diers— How they mount guard — Drill — Honours— A much-admired
shoe— A gift Pp. 165 — 181

CHAPTER XII

The royal palace — A royal message — Mounting guard — The bell — The
royal precinct — The Russian villa — An unfinished structure — The
Summer Palace — The King's house — Houses of dignitaries — The
ground and summer pavilion — Colds — The funeral of a Japanese
Minister — Houses of royal relations — The queen — The oldest man
and woman — The King and his throne — Politics and royalty —
Messengers and spies — Kim-Ka-chim — Falcons and archery —
Nearly a St. Sebastian — The queen's curiosity — A royal banquet —
The consequences . Pp. 182 — 203

CHAPTER XIII

Students— Culture— Examination ground— The three degrees — The
alphabet — Chinese characters — Schools — Astronomers — Diplomas
— Students abroad — Adoption of Western ways — Quick perception
— The letter " f " — A comical mistake — Magistrates and education
Rooted superstition — Another haunted palace — Tigers — A con-
venient custom Pp. 204 — 215

CONTENTS

CHAPTER XIV

Religion — Buddhism— Bonzes — Their power — Shamanism — Spirits —
Spirits of the mountain — Stone heaps — Sacred trees — Seized by
the spirits — Safe-guard against them — The wind — Sorcerers and
sorceresses — Exorcisms — Monasteries — Temples — Buddha —
Monks — Their customs and clothing — Nuns — Their garments —

Pp. 216 — 234

CHAPTER XV

Police — Detectives — The plank-walk — The square board — The wooden
blocks for hands and feet — Floggings — The bamboo rod— The
stick— The flexible board — A flogging in Seoul — One hundred
strokes for three-halfpence — Wounds produced — Tender-hearted
soldiers — Imprisonment — Exile — Status of women, children, and
bachelors — Guilds and the law — Nobles and the law — Serfdom —
A mild form of slavery Pp. 235 — 245

CHAPTER XVI

Executions — Crucified and carried through the streets — The execution
ground — Barbarous mode of beheading — Noble criminals — Paternal
love — Shut out — Scaling the wall — A catastrophe — A nightmare

Pp. 246 — 260

CHAPTER XVII

The "King's procession" — Removing houses — Foolhardy people —
Beaten to death — Cavalry soldiers — Infantry — Retainers — Banners
— Luxurious saddles — The King and his double— Royal palanquins
— The return at night Pp. 261 — 266

CONTENTS xiii

CHAPTER XVIII

Fights — Prize fights — Fist fights — Special moon for fighting — Summary
justice — The use of the top-knot — Cruelty — A butcher combatant
Stone fights — Belligerent children — Battle between two guilds —
Wounded and killed — The end of the battle postponed — Soldiers'
fights ; ... Pp. 267—275

CHAPTER XIX

Fires — ^The greatest peril — A curious way of saving one's house — The
anchor of safety — How it worked — Making an opposition wind —
Saved by chance — A good trait in the native character — Useful
friends Pp. 276—282

CHAPTER XX
A trip to Poo-kan — A curious monastery . . . Pp. 283 — 287

CHAPTER XXI

Corean physiognomy — Expressions 'of pleasure — Displeasure — Con-
tempt — Fear — Pluck — Laughter — Astonishment — Admiration —
Sulkiness — Jealousy — Intelligence — Affection — Imagination —
Dreams — Insanity — Its principal causes — Leprosy — The family —
Men and women — Fecundity — Natural and artificial deformities —
Abnormalities — Movements and attitudes — The Corean hand —
Conservatism Pp. 288—300

I

LIST OF PLATES

PAGE
PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR . . . Frontispiece

AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT IO7

THE PEKIN PASS I32

A WATER-COOLIE 1^4

H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN 166

AN INFANTRY SOLDIER

A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE

174

251

I

CHEMULPO

CHAPTER I

Christmas on board — Fusan — A body-snatcher — The Kiung-sang Pro-
vince— The cotton production — Body-snatching extraordinary —
Imperatrice Gulf — Chemulpo.

It was on a Christinas Day that I set out for Corea.
The year was 1890. I had been several days at
Nagasaki, waiting for the Httle steamer, Higo-Maru,
of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (Japan Steamship Com-
pany), which was to arrive, I think, from Vladivos-
tock, when a message was brought to me saying that
she was now in port, and would sail that afternoon
for Tsushima, Goto, and the Corean ports.

I went on board, and, our vessel's anchor being
raised at four o'clock, we soon steamed past Batten-
berg Island and got away from the picturesque Bay
of Nagasaki. This was the last I saw of Japan.

The little Higo was not a bad seaboat, for, follow-
ing good advice, her owners had provided her with

.V' .* y: *..••:;..; //., . ,: corea

rolling beams ; but, mind you, she had by no means
the steadiness of a rock, nor did she pretend to cut
the water at the rate of twenty knots an hour. Still,
taken all in all, she was a pretty good goer. Her
captain was a Norwegian, and a jolly fellow ; while the
crew she carried was entirely Japanese, with the ex-
ception of the stewards in the saloon, who were two
pig-tailed subjects of the Celestial Empire.

'' Numbel one Clistmas dinnel has got to-night,
Mastel," expostulated John Chinaman to me in his
pidgen English, as I was busy making my cabin com-
fortable. '* Soup has got, fish has got, loast tulkey has
got, plan-puddy all bulning has got. All same
English countly. Dlink, to-night, plenty can have,
and no has to pay. Shelly can have, Boldeau can
have, polt, bea, champagne, blandy, all can have, all
flee!"

I must say that when I heard of the elaborate
dinner to which we were to be treated by the captain,
I began to feel rather glad that I had started on my
journey on a Christmas Day.

There were a few Japanese passengers on board,
but only one European, or rather American, besides
myself, and a most pleasant companion he turned
out to be. He was Mr. Clarence R. Greathouse,
formerly Consul-General for the United States at
Yokohama — at which place I first had the pleasure of
meeting him — who was now on his way to Corea,
where he had been requested by the Corean Govern-
ment to accept the high and responsible position
of Vice-MInlster of Home Affairs, as well as of legal
adviser to the King in international affairs.

CHRISTMAS ON BOARD 3

Curiously enough, he had not been aware that I was
to travel on the same ship, and I also never dreamt
that I would have had the good fortune of being in
such good and agreeable company during a voyage
which otherwise would have been extremely dull.
Accordingly, when we met again thus accidentally on
the deck of the Higo, the event was as much to our
mutual satisfaction as it was unexpected.

The sea was somewhat choppy, but notwithstanding
this, when the steward appeared on the companion-way,
beaming all over, in his best silk gown and jacket, and
rang the dinner-bell with all his might, we gaily re-
sponded to his call and proceeded below.

Heavens ! it was a Christmas dinner and no mis-
take ! The tables and walls had been decorated with
little paper flags and flowers made of the brightest
colours that human fancy could devise, and dishes of
almonds and raisins filled the centre of the table.
There were little flags stuck in those dishes, and, in-
deed, everywhere. A big cake in the middle had
prudently been tied to the table with a string, as the
rolling motion of the ship was rather against its
chances of keeping steady in the place that had been
assigned to it, and the other usual precautions had
been taken to keep the plates and glasses in their
proper positions.

Our dinner-party consisted of about eight. At one
moment we would be up, with our feet on a level with
our opposite companion's head ; the next we would be
down, with the soles of their boots higher than our
skulls.

It is always a pretty sight to see a table decorated,

4 COREA

but when it is not only decorated but animated as well,
it is evidently prettier still. When you see all the
plates and salt-cellars moving slowly away from you,
and as slowly returning to you ; when you have to
chase your fork and your knife before you can use
them, the amusement is infinitely greater.

'* O goinen kudasai' — '' I beg your pardon " — said a
Japanese gentleman in rather a hurried manner, and
more hurriedly still made his exit into his cabin. Two
or three others of his countrymen followed suit during
the progress of the dinner, and as number after number
of the fnenu was gone through, so that we who
remained had a capital time. Not many minutes
also elapsed without our having a regular fusillade
of bottles of champagne of some unknown brand,
and *' healths " were drunk of distant friends and
relatives.

Mr. Greathouse, who, like many of his countrymen,
has a wonderful gift for telling humorous stories, of
which he had an unlimited supply, kept us in fits all
evening, and in fact the greater part of the night, so
that when we passed the islands of Goto and Tsushima
we were still awake and in course of being entertained
by his Yankee yarns.

The next day we reached the Corean port of Fusan.
I well remember how much I was struck when we
entered the pretty harbour and approached the spot
where we cast anchor, by the sight of hundreds of
white spots moving slowly along the coast and on a
road winding up a hill. As we drew nearer, the white
spots became larger and assumed more and more the
form of human beings. There was something so

A BODY-SNATCHER 5

ghostly about that scene that it is still vividly impressed
upon my mind.

There is at Fusan not only a Japanese settlement,
but also a Chinese one. About two and a half miles
distant round the bay, the native walled town and fort
can be plainly seen, while in the distance one may
distinguish the city and castle of Tong-nai, in which
the Governor resides. If I remember correctly, the
number of Europeans at this port is only three or four,
these being mainly in the employ of the Chinese Cus-
toms service.

We had hardly come to a standstill when a curious-
looking being, who had come to meet the steamer in a
boat, climbed up the rope-ladder which had been let
down on the starboard side and came on board. He
was a European.

'' Do you see that man ? " a voice whispered in my
ear. '* He is a body-snatcher."

'' Nonsense," I said ; ''are you joking, or what ?"

"No, I am not; and, if you like, I will tell you his
story at luncheon." And surely what better time
could be chosen for a " body-snatching " story than
" luncheon." Meanwhile, however, I lost not my
chance, and while conversing with somebody else, the
snatcher found himself "snatched" in my sketch-book.
It is not every day that one comes across such in-
dividuals ! I went to speak to him, and I must confess
that whether he had as a fact troubled the dead or not,
he was none the less most courteous and polite with
the living. He had, it is true, at times somewhat of a
sinister look in his face ; but for his unsteady eyes,
you might almost have put him down as a missionary.

6 COREA

He Informed me that codfish was to be had in great
abundance at Fusan, and that the grain export was
almost entirely done by the Japanese, while the im-
portation of miscellaneous articles was entirely In the
hands of the Chinese.

Fusan is situated at the most south-westerly
extremity of the province of Klung-sang, which words,
translated into English mean, ''polite compliment."
The kingdom of Corea, we may here mention, Is
divided into eight provinces, which rejoice in the
following names : Klung-sang-do,"^ Chulla-do, Chung-
chon-do, Klung-kel-do, Kang-wen-do, Wang-hal-do,
PIng-yan-do, Ham-klung-do. The province in which
Fusan is situated Is, without exception, the richest In
Corea after that of Chulla, for it has a mild climate and
a very fertile soil. This being the case, it is not
astonishing to find that the population is more
numerous than in most other districts further north,
and also, that being so near the Japanese coast, a
certain amount of trading, mostly done by junks, is
continually being transacted with the Mikado's subjects
on the opposite shores. Fusan has been nominally
in the hands of the Japanese from very ancient times,
although It was only in 1876 that a treaty was concluded
by which It was opened to Japanese trade. The spot on
which the settlements lie is pretty, with its picturesque
background of high mountains and the large number of
little islands rising like green patches here and there
in the bay. Maki, the largest Island, directly opposite
the settlement, is now used as a station for breeding
horses of very small size, and It possesses good pas-

* Do means province.

FUSAN 7

tures on Its high hills. In the history of the relations
between Corea and Japan this province plays indeed a
very important part, for being nearer than any other
portion of the kingdom to the Japanese shores — the
distance being, I believe, some 130 miles between the
nearest points of the two countries — invasions have
been of frequent occurrence, especially during the
period that Kai-seng, then called Sunto, was the capital.
This city, like the present capital, Seoul, was a forti-
fied and walled town of the first rank and the chief
military centre of the country, besides being a seat of
learning and making some pretence of commercial
enterprise. It lay about twenty-five miles N.E. of
Seoul, and at about an equal number of miles from the
actual sea. For several hundreds of years, Sunto had
been one of the principal cities of Corea, when Wang,
a warrior of the Fuyu race and an ardent Buddhist,
who had already conquered the southern portion of the
Corean peninsula, made It the capital, which It remained
until the year 1392 a.d., when the seat of the Govern-
ment was removed to Seoul.

To return to Fusan and the Kyung-sang province.
It is as well to mention that the chief product culti-
vated is cotton. This is, of course, the principal
industry all over Corea, and the area under cultivation
is roughly computed at between eight and nine hun-
dred thousand acres, the unclean cotton produced per
annum being calculated at about 1,200,000,000 lbs.
In a recent report, the Commissioner of Customs at
Fusan sets down the yearly consumption of cleaned
cotton at about 300,000,000 lbs. The greater part of
the cotton is made up into piece-goods for making

8 COREA

garments and padding the native winter clothes. In
the Klung-sang province the pieces of cloth manu-
factured measure sixty feet, while the width is only
fourteen inches, and the weight between three and four
pounds. The fibre of the cotton stuff produced,
especially in the Kiung-sang and Chulla provinces,
is highly esteemed by the Coreans, and they say that'
it is much more durable and warmth-giving than that
produced either in Japan or China.

Of course the production of cotton could be greatly
increased if more practical systems were used in its
cultivation, and if the magistrates were not so much
given to '' squeezing " the people. To make money
and to have it extorted the moment you have made it,
is not encouraging to the poor Corean who has worked
for it ; therefore little exertion is displayed beyond
what is necessary to earn, not the ''daily bread,"
for that they do not eat, but the daily bowl of
rice. There is much fertile land, which at present is
not used at all, and hardly any attention, and much
less skill, is manifested when once the seed is in the
ground.

The Neapolitan lazzaroni, of world-wide reputation
for extreme laziness, have indeed worthy rivals in the
Corean peasantry. The women .are made to do all
the work, for by them the crops are gathered, and by
them the seeds are separated with the old-fashioned
roller-gin. To borrow statistics from the Commis-
sioners' Report, a native woman can, with a roller-
gin, turn out, say, nearly 3 lbs. of clean cotton from
12 lbs. of seed-cotton ; while the industrious Japanese,
who have brought over modern machines of the saw-

BODY-SNATCHING EXTRAORDINARY 9

gin type, can obtain 35 lbs. of clean cotton from 140
lbs. of seed-cotton in the same space of time. Pre-
vious to being spun, the cotton is prepared pretty-
much in the same way as in Japan or China, the cotton
being tossed into the air with a view to separating the
staple ; but the spinning-wheel commonly used in Corea
only makes one thread at a time.

The crops are generally gathered in August, and
the dead stalk is used for fuel, while the ashes make
fairly good manure. The quantity of clean cotton is
about 85 lbs. per acre, and of seed-cotton 345 lbs. per
acre.

But to return to my narrative, luncheon-time came
in due course, and as I was spreading out my napkin
on my knees, I reminded the person who had whis-
pered those mysterious words in my ear, of the pro-
mise he had made.

*' Yes," said he, as he cautiously looked round, ''I
will tell you his story. Mind you," he added, "this
man to whom you spoke a while ago was only one of
several, and he was not the principal actor in that out-
rageous business, still he himself is said to have taken
a considerable part in the criminal dealings. Remember
that the account I am going to give you of the affair
is only drawn in bold lines, for the details of the
expedition have never been fully known to any one.
For all I know, this man may even be perfectly
innocent of all that is alleged against him."

*' Go on ; do not make any more apologies, and
begin your story," I remarked, as my curiosity was
considerably roused.

"Very good. It was on April 30th, 1867, that an

lo COREA

expedition left Shanghai bound for Corea. The aims
of that expedition seemed rather obscure to many of
the foreign residents at the port of departure, as little
faith was reposed in the commander. Still, it must
be said for its members that until they departed they
played their role well. Corea was then practically a
closed country ; wherefore a certain amount of curiosity
was displayed at Shanghai when three or four Coreans,
dressed up in their quaint costumes and transparent
horse-hair hats, were seen walking about, and being
introduced here and there by a French bishop called
Ridel. A few days later the curiosity of the foreign
residents grew in intensity when the news spread that
an American subject, a certain Jenkins, formerly
interpreter at the U.S. Consulate, had, at his own
expense, chartered a ship and hurriedly fitted out an
expedition, taking under his command eight other
Europeans, all of a more or less dubious character,
and a suite of about 1 50 Chinamen and Manillamen,
the riff-raff of the Treaty Port, who were to be the
crew and military escort of the expedition. A man
called Oppert, a North German Jew, and believed by
everybody to be an adventurer under the guise of a
trader, was in command of the 'fleet ' — which was com-
posed of a steamer, if I remember right, of about 700
tons, called the China, and a smaller tender of little
over 50 tons, called the Greta, Oppert flew the flag
of his own country, and in due course gave the order
to start."

" Well, so far so good," I interrupted ; *' but you have
not told me what connection there was between Bishop
Ridel's four Coreans and your body-snatching friends.^"

BODY-SNATCHING EXTRAORDINARY ir

*' Well, you see, the American and Oppert took
advantage of their appearance in Shanghai to let
people believe that they were high officials sent over
by the king, who was anxious to send an embassy
to the different courts of Europe to explain the
slaughter of foreigners which had taken place in his
country, and also with the object of entering, if
possible, into treaties with the different European
monarchs — in fact to open his country to foreign trade
and commerce. It seemed somewhat a large order to
any one who knew of the retiring nature of the king,
but everything was done so quickly that the expedi-
tion was gone before people had time to inquire into
its real object.

*' The fleet, as I have remarked, in due time started,
and after calling on its way at Nagasaki, where rifles
and other firearms and ammunition were purchased
with which to arm the military escort, steered a course
to the mouth of the Han river. Among the eight
Europeans of dubious character on board was a
Frenchman, a Jesuit priest, who called himself Farout,
but whose real name was Feron, and who played an
important part in the piratical scheme, for, having lived
some time previously in Corea, he had mastered the
language. Besides, he had travelled a good deal along
the river Han, so that he was entrusted with the
responsible position of guide and interpreter to the
body-snatchers ! "

*' Curious position for a missionary to occupy," I
could not help remarking.

"Yes. They reached Prince Jerome's Gulf on the
8th of May, and the next day, sounding continually,

12 COREA

slowly steamed up the river Han to a point where
it was deemed advisable to man the tender and
smaller rowing-boats with a view to completing the
expedition in these.

"This plan was successfully carried out, and during
the night, under the command of Oppert, and escorted
by the marauders, who were armed to the teeth, they
proceeded to the point where I'Abb^ Feron advised a
landing. Here, making no secret of their designs, they
ill-treated the natives, and pillaged their poor huts,
after which they made their way to the tomb, where
the relics lay of some royal personage supposed to
have been buried there with mountains of gold and
precious jewels, which relics were held in much venera-
tion by the great Regent, the Tai-wen-kun. The
impudent scheme, in a few words, was this : to take
the natives by surprise, dig the body quickly out of
its underground place of what should have been eternal
rest, and take possession of anything valuable that
might be found in the grave. The disturbed bones of
the unfortunate prince were to be carried on board,
and a high ransom was to be extorted from the great
Regent, who they thought would offer any sum to
get back the cherished bones of his ancestor.

*' The march from the landing-place to the tomb
occupied longer than had been anticipated, and crowds
of astonished and angry natives followed the proces-
sion of armed men. The latter finally reached the
desired spot, a funny little semi-spherical mound of
earth, with a few stone figures of men and ponies
roughly carved on either side, and guarded by two
stone slabs.

BODY-SNATCHING EXTRAORDINARY ij

"The 'abbe,' who, among other things, was said to
have been the promoter of the scheme, pointed out the
mound, and, rejoicing with Oppert and Jenkins at
having been so far successful, gave orders to the
coolies to proceed at once to dig. Spades and shovels
had been brought for the purpose, and the little mound
was rapidly being levelled, while the turbulent crowd of
infuriated Coreans which had collected was getting
more and more menacing. These seemed to spring out
by hundreds from every side as by magic, and the
body-snatchers were soon more than ten times out-
numbered. No greater insult or infamous act could
there be to a Corean mind than the violation of a
grave. As spadeful after spadeful of earth was re-
moved by the shaking hands of the frightened coolies,
shouts, hisses, and oaths went up from the maddened
crowd, but Oppert and the French abbe, half scared
as they were, still pined for the hidden treasure, and
encouraged the grave-diggers with promises of rewards
as well as with the invigorating butt-ends of their rifles.
At last, after digging a big hole in the earth, their
spades came upon a huge slab of stone, which seemed
to be the top of the sarcophagus."

'' I suppose that no oath was bad enough for the
three leaders, then ? " said I.

" No ; they were mad with fury,, and more so when
all the strength of their men combined was not suffi-
cient to stir the stone an inch."

''The crowd which till then had been merely tur-
bulent, now became so exasperated at the cheek of the
* foreign white devils ' that it could no more keep within
bounds, and a wild attack was made on the pirates..

14 COREA

Showers of stones were thrown, and the infuriated
natives made a rush upon them ; but, hdlas ! their
attack was met by a volley of rifle-shots. Frightened
out of their lives by the murderous effects of these
strange weapons, they fell back for a time, only to re-
turn by-and-by with fresh ardour to the attack. The
body-snatchers, having little confidence in the courage
and fidelity of the ruffian lot that composed their
military escort, and, moreover, seeing that all efforts
were useless to remove the ' blessed ' 'Stone, deemed
it more than advisable to retreat to the tender — a
retreat which, one may add, was effected somewhat
hurriedly. This being done, they steamed full speed
down the river, and once on board the China, began
to feel more like themselves again.

'' They anchored opposite Kang-wha Island, and
remained there for three days. Then as they were
holding a parley on land near Tricauld Island, they
were attacked again by the angry mob, the news of
their outrageous deed having spread even hitherwards,
and two or three of their men were killed. Realising,
therefore, that it was impossible to carry out their plan,
the body-snatchers returned to Shanghai, but here a
-surprise awaited them.

''They were all arrested and underwent a trial.
So little evidence,, however, was brought against
them, and that little was of such a conflicting cha-
racter, that they were all acquitted. Oppert, never-
theless, was imprisoned in his own country, and even
brought out a book in which he described his piratical
-expedition."

''Yes," I remarked, "your story is a very good

IMPERATRICE GULF 15

one ; but what part did this particular man, now at
Fusan, take in the marauding scheme ? "

'* Oh, that I do not exactly know — in fact, no one
knows more than this, that he was one of the eight
Europeans who accompanied Oppert. Here at Fusan
all the foreign residents look down on him, and his
only pleasure is to come on board when a ship happens
to call, that he may exchange a few words in a European
tongue, for no one belonging to this locality will speak
to him."

I went on deck to look for the pirate, hoping to get,
if possible, a few interesting and accurate details of the
adventurous journey of the China, but he had already
gone, and we were just on the point of raising our
anchor, bound for Chemulpo.

On December 27th we steamed past Port Hamilton,
formerly occupied by the British, where fortifications
and a jetty had been constructed and afterwards aban-
doned, a treaty having been signed by Great Britain
and China, to the effect that no foreign Power was to
be allowed to occupy either Port Hamilton or any
other port in the kingdom of Corea at any future time.

During that day we travelled mostly along the inner
course, among hundreds of picturesque little islands of
the Corean Archipelago, and in the afternoon of the
28th we entered the Imperatrice Gulf On account of
the low tide w^e had to keep out at sea till very late,
and it was only towards sunset that we were able to
enter the inner harbour where Chemulpo lies, protected
by a pretty island on its western side. I bade good-
bye to the jolly captain and mate, and getting my traps
together, landed for the second time on Corean soil.

THE DONKEY OF A COREAN OFFICIAL

CHAPTER II

Chemulpo — So-called European hotels — Comforts — ^Japanese conces-
sion— The Guechas — New-Year's festivities — The Chinese settle-
ment— European residents — The word "Corea" — A glance at
Corean history — Cho-sen.

When I land in a new country a strange sense of the
unknown somehow takes possession of me. Perhaps
in this, however, I am not alone. The feeling is in
part, I think, due to one's new surroundings, though
chiefly to the facial expressions of the people, with
which one is not familiar and probably does not quite
understand. One may be a student of human character
in only a very amateurish way, and yet without much
difficulty guess by the twinkle in the eye, or the
quivering of the underlip, whether a person is pleased
or annoyed, but when a strange land is visited one is
apt to be at first often deceived by appearances ; and

'^.

■^|Tiu*Y'|fr-»Jjvr'-

THE PEKIN PASS

CHEMULPO HOTELS 17

if, as has happened in my case, the traveller has suffered
in consequence of being thus deceived, he is rather apt
to look upon all that he sees with a considerable
amount of caution and even suspicion.

It was then with some such feelings as these that I
landed at Chemulpo. Hundreds of coolies running
along the shore, with loads of grain on their backs, to
be shipped by the Higo-Maru, had no compunction in
knocking you down if you were in their way, and a
crowd of curious native loafers, always ready to be
entertained by any new arrival, followed you en masse
wherever you went.

When I visited Chemulpo there were actually three
European hotels there. These were European more
in name than in fact, but there they were, and as the
night was fast approaching, I had to make my choice,
for I wanted a lodging badly.

One of these hotels was kept by a Chinaman, and
was called Steward's Hotel, for the simple reason that

tits owner had been a steward on board an American
ship, and had since appropriated the word as a family
name ; the second, which rejoiced in the grand name
pf "" Hotel de Cor6e," was of Hungarian proprietor-
ship, and a favourite resort for sailors of men-of-war
when they called at that port, partly because a drink-
ing saloon, well provided with intoxicants of all descrip-
tions, was the chief feature of the establishment, and
partly because glasses were handed over the counter
by a very fascinating young lady, daughter of the
proprietor, a most accomplished damsel, who could
speak fluently every language under the sun — from
Turkish and Arabic to Corean and Japanese. The

i8 COREA

third hotel — a noble mansion, to use modern phrase-
ology— was quite a new structure, and was owned by a
Japanese. The name which had been given by him to
his house of rest was " The Dai butzu," or, in English
parlance. The Great God. Attracted by the holiness
of the name, and perhaps even more by the clean look,
outside only, of the place, I, as luck would have it,
made the Dai butzu my headquarters. I know little
about things celestial, but certainly can imagine
nothing less celestial on the face of the earth than
this house of the Great God at Chemulpo. The house
had apparently been newly built, for the rooms were
damp and icy cold' and 'when I proceeded to inspect
the bed and remarked on the somewhat doubtful
cleanliness of the sheets, " They are quite clean,"
said the landlord'; "only two gentlemen have slept in
them before." However, as we were so near the New
Year, he condescended to change them to please me,
and I accepted his offer most gracefully as a New-
Year's gift.

*' O Lord," said I with a deep sigh when the news
arrived that no meat could be got that evening, and
the only provisions in store were " one solitary tin,
small size, of compressed milk."

" Mionichi nandemo arimas, Konban domo dannasan,
nandemo arimasen " : " To-morrow you can have any-
thing, but to-night, please, sir, we have nothing." As I
am generally a philosopher on such occasions, I satisfied
my present cravings with that tin of milk, which, need-
less to say, I emptied, putting off my dinner till the
following night.

Corea, as ^everybody knows, is an extremely cold

COMFORTS 19

country, the thermometer reaching as low sometimes
as seventy or even eighty degrees of frost ; my
readers will imagine therefore how delightfully warm
I was in my bed with only one sheet over me and
a sort of cotton bed-cover, both sheet and bed-
cover, I itlay add, being somewhat too short to cover
my feet^'and my neck at the same time, my lower
extremities in consequence playing a curious game
of hid6-and-seek with the support of my head. I
had ordered a cold bath, and water and tray had
been brought into my room before I had gone to
bed, but to my horror, when I got up, ready to
plunge in and sponge myself to my heart's content,
I found nothing but a huge block of solid ice, into
which the water had thought proper to metamorphose
itself. Bells there were none in the house, so recourse
had to be made to the national Japanese custom of
clapping one's hands in order to summon up the
servants.

''He," answered the slanting-eyed maid from down
below, as she trotted up the steps. Good sharp girl
that she was, however, she quickly mastered the situa-
tion, and hurried down to fetch fresh supplies of un-
frozen liquid from the well ; although hardly had she
left the room the second time before a thick layer of
ice again formed on the surface of the bucketful which
she had brought. It was bathing under difficulties, I
can tell you ; but though I do not much mind missing
my dinner, I can on no account bring myself to de-
privation of my cold bath in the morning. It is to this
habit that I attribute my freedom from contagious dis-
eases in all countries and climates ; to it I owe, in fact,

20 COREA

my life, and I have no doubt to it, some day, I shall
also owe my death.

The evil of cold was, however, nothing as compared
with the quality and variety of the food. For the best
part of the week, during which I stayed at the Dai butzu,
I only had an occasional glance at a slice of nondescript
meat, served one day as " rosbif," and the next day as
*'mutin shops," but unfortunately so leathery that no
Sheffield blade could possibly divide it, and no human
tooth nor jaw, however powerful, could masticate it.

As luck would have it, I was asked out to dinner
once or twice by an American gentleman — a merchant
resident at Chemulpo — and so made up for what would
have otherwise been the lost art of eating.

Chemulpo is a port with a future. The Japanese
prefer to call it Jinsen ; the Chinese, In-chiang. It
possesses a pretty harbour, though rather too shallow
for large ships. The tide also, a very troublesome
customer in that part of the ' world, falls as much as
twenty-eight or twenty-nine feet ; wherefore it is that
at times one can walk over to the island in front of the
settlement almost without wetting one's feet.

Chemulpo's origin is said to be as follows : The
Japanese government, represented at Seoul by a very
able and shrewd man called Hanabusa, had repeatedly
urged the Corean king to open to Japanese trade a port
somewhat nearer to the capital. Though the king was
personally inclined to enter into friendly negotiations,
there were many of the anti-foreign party who would not
hear of the project ; but such was the pressure brought
to bear by the skilful Japanese, and so persuasive were
the king's arguments, that, after much pour-parleying,

THE GUECHAS 21

the latter finally gave way. Towards the end of 1 880,
the Mikado's envoy, accompanied by a number of other
officials, proceeded from the capital to the Imperatrice
Gulf and selected an appropriate spot, on which to raise
the now prosperous little concession, fixing that some
distance from the native city. In course of years it
grew bigger, and when I was at Chemulpo there
was actually a Japanese village there, with its own Jap
policemen, its tea-houses, two banks, the '' Mitsui-
bashi" and '' The First National Bank of Japan," and
last but not least, a number of gueckas, the graceful
singers and posturing dancers of Nippon, without
whom life is not worth living for the Nipponese.

Like the Australians generally, who begin building a
town by marking out a fine race-course, so the light-
hearted sons of the Mikado's empire, when out
colonising, begin as a first and necessary luxury of
life by importing a few guechas who, with their quaint
songs, enliven them in moments of despair, and send
them into ecstasies at banquets and dinner-parties with
their curious fan-dances, &c., just as our British music-
hall frequenting youth raves over the last song and
skirt-dance of the moment.

The guechas, mind you, are not bad girls. There is
nothing wrong about them except that they are not
always *' quite right," for they are well educated, and
possess good manners. They are generally paid by
the hour for the display of their talent, and the prices
they command vary from the low sum of twenty sens
(sixpence) to as much as two or three yen (dollars), for
each sixty minutes, in proportion, of course, to their
capacity and beauty.

22 COREA

As the New Year was fast approaching, and that Is a
great festivity among the Japanese, the guechas at
Chemulpo were hard at work, and from morning till
night and vice versa they were summoned from one
house to the other to entertain with their — to Euro-
pean ears excruciating — music on the Sharnesens and
Gokkins, while sakd and foreign liquors were plentifully
indulged in.

I walked up the main street. Great Scott ! what a
din ! It was enough to drive anybody crazy. Each
house, with its paper walls, hardly suitable for the
climate, seemed to contain a regular pandemonium.
Men and women were to be seen squatting on the
ground round a huge brass hibachi, where a charcoal
fire was blazing, singing and yelling and playing and
clapping their hands to their hearts' content. They
had lost somehow or other that look of gracefulness
which is so characteristic of them in their own country,
and on a closer examination I found the cause to be
their being clad in at least a dozen kimonos,^ put on one
over the other to keep the cold out. Just picture to
yourself any one wearing even half that number of coats,
and you will doubtless agree with me that one's form
would not be much improved thereby in appearance.
The noise increased until New-Year's Eve, and when
at last the New Year broke in upon them, it was some-
thing appalling. The air was full of false notes, vocal
and otherwise, and I need scarcely say that at the
'' Dai butzu " also grand festivities went on for the
greater part of the night. •

I was lying flat in bed on New-Year's Day, thinking

* Long gown, the national dress of Japan.

NEW YEAR'S FESTIVITIES 23

of the foolishness of humanity, when I heard a tap at
the door. I looked at the watch ; it was 7.20 a.m.

" Come in," said I, thinking that the thoughtful maid
was carrying my sponge-bath, but no. In came
a procession of Japs, ludicrously attired In foreign
clothes with antediluvian frock-coats and pre-hlstoric
European hats, bowing and sipping their breath In sign
of great respect. At their head was the fat proprietor
of the hotel, and each of them carried with him in his
hand a packet of visiting cards, which they severally
deposited on my bed, as I, more than ten times
astounded, stood resting on my elbows gazing at
them.

" So-and-so, brick-layer and roof-maker. So-and-
so, hotel proprietor and shipping agent ; so-and-so,
Japanese carpenter ; so-and-so, mat-maker ; X,
merchant ; Z, boatman," &c. &c., were how the cards
read as I inspected them one by one. I need hardly
say, therefore, that the year 1891 was begun with an
extra big D, which came straight from my heart, as I
uncoiled myself out of my bed at that early hour of the
morning to entertain these professional gentlemen to
drinks and cigarettes. And yet that was nothing as
compared with what came after. They had scarcely
gone, and I was just breaking the ice in order to get
my cold bath, when another lot, a hundredfold more
noisy than the first, entered my room unannounced and
depositing another lot of ''pasteboards," as Yankees
term them. In my frozen hands, went on wishing me all
sorts of happiness for the New Year, though I for my
part wished them all to a place that was certainly not
heaven. In despair I dressed myself, and going out

24 COREA

aimlessly, strolled in any direction in order to keep
out of reach of the New- Year's callers. But the hours
were long, and about eleven I went to pay a visit to
Mr. T., the American merchant who had kindly asked
me once or twice to dinner. If I considered myself
entitled to complain of the calling nuisance, he must
have had good reason to swear at it. Being the richest
man in the place as well as the principal merchant, his
place was simply besieged by visitors. Many were so
drunk that they actually had to be carried in by coolies
— a curious mode of going to call — while others had
even to be provided with a bed on the premises until
the effects of their libations had passed off A well-
known young Japanese merchant, I remember, nearly
fractured his skull against a table, through losing his
equilibrium as he was offering a grand bow to Mr. T.

Wherever one went in the Japanese quarter there
was nothing but drink, and the main street was full of
unsteady walkers.

Curiously enough, on proceeding a few yards further
on towards the British Consulate, one came to the
Chinese settlement, which was perfectly quiet, and
showed its inhabitants not only as stern and well-
behaved as on other occasions, but even, to all appear-
ance, quite unconcerned at the frolic and fun of their
merry neighbours. Here business was being transacted
as usual, those engaged therein retaining their well-
known expressionless and dignified mien, and appar-
ently looking down disgusted upon the drunken lot,
although prepared themselves to descend from their
high pedestal when their own New- Year's Day or
other festival occasions should arrive.

THE CHINESE SETTLEMENT 25

I was much amused at a remark that a Chinaman
made to me that day.

I asked him how he liked the Japanese.

" Pff ! " he began, looking at me from under his huge
round spectacles, as if he thought the subject too
insignificant to waste his time upon.

" The Japanese," he exploded, with an air of con-
tempt, '* no belong men. You see Japanese man
dlunk, ol no dlunk, all same to me. He no can speak
tluth, he no can be honest man. He buy something,
nevel pay. Japanese belong bad, bad, bad man. He
always speak lie, lie, lie, lie," and he emphasised his
words with a crescendo as he curled up what he pos-
sessed in the shape of a nose — for it was so flat that it
hardly deserved the name ; indeed, to give strength to
his speech, he spat with violence on the ground, as if
to clear his mouth, as it were, of the unclean sound
of the word "Japanese."

Not even in those days could the Chinese and
Japanese be accused of loving one another.

The Chinese settlement is not quite so clean in
appearance as the Japanese one, but if business is
transacted on a smaller scale, it is, at all events, con-
ducted on a firm and honest basis. Chemulpo has but
few natural aptitudes beyond its being situated at the
mouth of the river Han, which, winding like a snake,
passes close to Seoul, the capital of the kingdom ;
and yet, partly because of its proximity to the capital,
the distance by road being twenty-five miles, and
partly owing to the fact that it is never ice-bound
in winter, the town has made wonderful strides. As
late as 1883 there were only one or two fishermen's

26 COREA

huts along the bay, but in 1892 the settlement con-
tained a score of Europeans, over 2800 Japanese
souls, and 1000 Chinese, besides quite a respectable-
sized native conglomeration of houses and huts.

When I visited the port, land fetched large sums
.of money in the central part of the settlement. The
post-office was in the hands of the Japanese, who
carried on its business in a very amateurish and im-
perfect manner, but the telegraphs were worked by the
Chinese. The commercial competition between the
two Eastern nations now at war has of late years been
very great in Corea. It is interesting to notice how
the slow Chinaman has followed the footsteps of young
Japan at nearly all the ports, especially at Gensan and
Fusan, and gradually monopolised a good deal of the
trade, through his honest dealings and steadiness.
And yet the Chinese must have been, of course,
greatly handicapped by the start of many years which
the dashing Japanese had over them, as well as by the
much larger number of their rivals. A very remarkable
fact,- however, is that several Japanese firms had em-
ployed Chinese as their compr adores, a position entirely
of trust, these being the officials whose duty it is to
go round to collect money and cheques, and who are
therefore often entrusted with very large sums of
money.

But now let us come to the foreigners stranded in
the Corean kingdom. If you take them separately,
they are rather nice people, though, of course, at least
a dozen years behind time as compared with the rest
of the world ; taken as a community, however, they
are enough to drive you crazy. I do not think that

THE WORD "COREA" 27

*it was ever my good fortune to hear a resident speak
well of another resident, this being owing, I dare say,
to their seeing too much of one another. If by chance
you come across a man occupying only a second-rate
official position, you may depend upon it you will see
airs ! One hardly ventures to address any such per-

,sonage, for so grand is he that he will hardly con-
descend to say '' How do you do ? " to you, for fear of
lowering himself There are only about four cats in
the place, and their sole subject of conversation is pre-
cedence and breaches of etiquette, when you would
imagine that in such a distant land, and away, so to
speak, from the outer world, they would all be like
brothers.

You must now consider yourselves as fairly landed
in Corea, and having tried to describe to you what
things and people that are not Corean are like in
Corea, I must provide you — again of course only figura-
tively— with a tiny little pony, the smallest probably you
have ever seen, that you may follow me to the capital
of the kingdom, .which I am sure will be interesting to
you as being thoroughly characteristic of the country.
First of all, however, we had better make sure of one
point.

The name Corea, or Ajorea, you may as well forget
or discard as useless, for to the Corean mind the
word would not convey any definite idea. Not even
would he look upon it as the name of his country.
The real native name now used is Cho-sen, though
occasionally in the vernacular the kingdom goes by the
name of Gori, or the antiquated Korai. There is no
doubt that the origin of the word Corea is Korai,

28 COREA

which is an abbreviation of Ko-Korai, a small kingdom*
in the mountainous region of the Ever White Moun-
tains, and bordering upon the kingdom of Fuyu, a
little further north, whence the brave and warlike
people probably descended, who conquered old Cho-
sen. The authorities on Corean history, basing their
arguments on Chinese writings, claim that the present^
people of Cho-sen are the true descendants of the
Fuyu race, and that the kingdom of Ko-Korai lay
between Fuyu on the northern side and Cho-sen on
the southern, from the former of which a few families
migrated towards the south, and founded a small king-
dom west of the river Yalu, electing as their king a
man called Ko-Korai, after whom, in all probability,
the new nation took its name. Then as their numbers
increased, and their adventurous spirit grew, they
began to extend their territory, north, south, and
west, and in this latter direction easily succeeded in
conquering the small kingdom of Wuju and extending
their frontier as far south as the river Tatung, which
lies approximately on parallel 38° 30'^

During the time of the "Three Realms" in China,
between the years 220 and 277 a.d., the Ko-Korai
people, profiting by the weakness of their neighbours,
and therefore not much troubled with guerrillas on the
northern frontier,. continued to migrate south, conquer-
ing new ground, and so being enabled finally to estab-
lish their capital at Ping-yan on the Tatong River.
After a comparatively peaceful time with their northern
neighbours for over 300 years, however, towards the
end of the sixth century, China began a most micidial
war against the king of Ko-Korai, or Korai, as it

GLANCE AT COREAN HISTORY 29

■was then called, the " Ko " having been dropped. It
seems that even In those remote days the Chinese had
no luck in the land of Cho-sen, and though army after
army, and hundreds of thousands of men were sent
against them, the brave Korai people held their own,
and far from being defeated and conquered, actually
drove the enemy out of the country, killing thou-
sands mercilessly in their retreat, and becoming
masters of the Corean Peninsula as far south as the
River Han.

To the south of Korai were the states of Shinra and
Hiaksai, and between these and Korai, there was for a
couple of centuries almost perpetual war, the only
intervals being when the latter kingdom was suffering
at the hands of the formidable Chinese invaders. But
as I merely give this rough and very imperfect sketch
of Corean history, to explain how the word Korai
originated and was then applied to the whole of the
peninsula, I must now proceed to explain in bold
touches how the other states became united to
Korai.

After its annexation to China, the Korai state
remained crippled by the terrible blow it had received,
for the Ko-Korai line of kings had been utterly ex-
pelled after having reigned for over seven centuries,
but at last it picked up a little strength again through
fresh migrations from the north-west, and in the second
decade of the tenth century a Buddhist monk called
Kung-wo raised a rebellion and proclaimed himself
king, establishing his court at Kaichow.

One of Kung-wo's officers, however, Wang by name,
who was believed to be a descendant of the Korai

30 COREA

family, did away with the royal monk and sat himself
on the throne, which he claimed as that of his ancestors.
Coming of a vigorous stock, and taking advantage of
the fact that China was weak with internal wars, Wang
succeeded in uniting Shinra to the old Korai, thus con-
verting the whole peninsula into a single and united
realm, of which, as we have already seen, in the first
chapter, he made the walled city of Sunto the capital.
Wang died 945 a.d., and was succeeded by his son Wu,
who wisely entered into friendly relations with China,
and paid his tribute to the Emperor of Heaven as if he
ruled a tributary state. In consequence of this policy
it was that Corea enjoyed peace with her terrible
Celestial rival for the best part of two centuries.

Cho-sen, then, is now the only name by which the
country is called by the natives themselves, for the
name of Korai has been entirely abandoned by the
modern Coreans. The meaning of the word is very
poetic, viz., " The Land of the Morning Calm," and is
one well adapted to the present Coreans, since, indeed,
they seem to have entirely lost the vigour and strength
of their predecessors, the Koraians. I believe Marco
Polo was the first to mention a country which he called
Coria ; after whom came the Franciscan missionaries.
Little, however, was known of the country until the
Portuguese brought back to Europe strange accounts
of this curious kingdom and its quaint and warlike
people. According to the story, it was a certain
Chinese wise man who, when in a poetic mood, baptized
Corea with the name of Cho-sen. But the student of
Corean history knows that the name had already been
bestowed on the northern part of the peninsula and on

CHO-SEN 31

a certain portion of Manchuria, and that it was in the
year 1392, when Korai was united to Shinra and the
State of Hiaksai became merged in it, that Cho-sen
became the official designation of united Corea. The
word *' Corea " evidently Is nothing but a corruption
of the dead and burled word '* Korai."

THE WEST GATE, SEOUL

CHAPTER III

The road to Seoul — The Mapu — Ponies — Oxen — Coolies — Currency
— Mode of carrying weights — The Han River — Nearly locked
out.

I LEFT Chemulpo on January 2nd, but instead of making
use of the minuscule ponies, I went on foot, sending-
my baggage on in advance on a pack-saddle on one
of them. I was still suffering considerably from an
accident I had sustained to my foot among the hairy
folk of the Hokkaido, and I thought that the long
walk would probably be beneficial to me, and would
take away some of the stiffness which still remained
in my ankle. At a short distance from the port I
came to a steep incline of a few hundred yards, and
crossing the hill-range which formed the background to
Chemulpo as one looks at it from the sea, I soon

THE ROAD TO SEOUL 33

descended on the other side, from which point the
road was nearly level all the way to the capital.
The road is not a bad one for Corea, but is, of
course, only fit for riding upon ; and would be
found almost of Impossible access to vehicles of any
size. The Japanese had begun running jinrickshas y
little carriages drawn by a man, between the capital
and the settlements ; but two, and even three men
were necessary to convey carriage and passenger
to his destination, and the amount of bumping and
shaking on the uneven road was quite appalling.

These little carriages, as every one knows, generally
convey only a single person, and are drawn by two
men, who run in a tandem, while the third pushes the
ricksha from the back, and is always ready at any
emergency to prevent the vehicle from turning turtle.
This mode of locomotion, however, was not likely to
become popular among the Coreans, who, if carried at
all, prefer to be carried either In a sedan-chair, an
easy and comfortable way of going about, or else,
should they be In a hurry and not wish to travel In
grand style, on pony or donkey's back. Europeans, as
a rule, like the latter mode of travelling best, as the
Corean sedan-chairs are somewhat too short for the
long-legged foreigner, and a journey of six or seven
hours in a huddled-up position Is occasionally apt to
give one the cramp, especially as Western bones and
limbs do not in general possess the pliability which
characterises those composing the skeleton of our
Eastern brothers.

The scenery along the road cannot be called
beautiful, the country one goes through being barren

34 COREA

and desolate, with the exception of a certain planta-
tion of mulberry trees, a wretched speculation Into
which the Infantile government of Cho-sen was driven
by some foreigners, the object of which was to enrich
Corea by the products of sUk-worms, but which, of
course, turned out a complete failure, and cost the
Government much money and no end of worry Instead.
Here and there a small patch might be seen cultivated
as kitchen garden near a hut, but with that exception
the ground was hardly cultivated at all ; this monotony
of landscape, however, was somewhat relieved by the
distant hills covered with maples, chestnuts and firs,
now unfortunately for the most part deprived of their
leaves and covered with snow, it being the coldest time
of the year in Corea.

The mile-posts on the high roads of Cho-sen are
rather quaint, and should you happen to see one for
the first time at night the Inevitable result must be
nightmare the moment you fall asleep. They consist
of a wooden post about eight feet in length, on the upper
end of which a long ghastly face Is rudely carved out of
the wood and painted white and red ; the eyes are black
and staring, and the mouth, the chief feature of the mask,
Is of enormous size, opened, showing two fine rows of
pointed teeth, which might hold their own with those
of the sharks of the Torres vStrait, of world-wide reputa-
tion. A triangular wedge of wood on each side of the
head represents the ears. The directions, number of
miles, &c., are written directly under the head, and
the writing being in Chinese characters, runs from up
to down and from right to left.

It was pretty along the road to see the numerous

I

THE MAPU 35

little ponies, infinitely smaller than any Shetlands,
carrying big fellows, towering with their padded clothes
above enormous saddles, and supported on either side
by a servant, while another man, the Mapu, led the steed
by hand. The ponies are so very small that even the
Coreans, who are by no means tall people, their average
height being about 5 ft. 4 in., cannot ride them unless
a high saddle is provided, for without these the rather
troublesome process of dragging one's feet on the
ground would have to be endured.

This high saddle, which elevates you some twenty
inches above the pony's back, naturally involves a cer-
tain amount of instability to the person who is mounted,
the balancing abilities one has to bring out on such
occasions being of no ordinary degree. The Corean
gentleman, who is dignified to an extreme degree, and
would not for the world run the risk of being seen
rolling in the mud or struggling between the pony's
little legs, wisely provides for the emergency by
ordering two of his servants to walk by his side and
hold him by the arms and the waist, as long as the
journey lasts, while the Mapu, one of the stock
features of Corean everyday life, looks well after the
pony and leads him by the head as one might a
big Newfoundland dog. The Mapu in Corea occupies
about the same position as Figaro in the *' Barber of
Seville." While leading your pony he takes the keenest
interest in your affairs, and thinks it his business to
talk to you on every possible subject that his brain
chooses to suggest, abusing all and everybody that he
thinks you dislike and praising up what he fancies you
cherish, that he may perhaps have a few extra cash at

36 COREA

the end of the journey, which he will immediately go
and lose in gambling. He speaks of politics as if he
were the axis of the political world, and will criticise
the magistracy, the noble, and the king if he is under
the impression that you are only a merchant, while evil
words enough would be at his command to represent
the meanness and bad manners of the commercial
classes, if his pony is honoured by being sat upon by a
nobleman ! Such is the world even in Cho-sen. The
MapM will sing to you, and crack jokes, and again will
swear at you and your servants, and at nearly every
Mapu that goes by. The greater the gentleman his
beast is carrying, the more quarrelsome is he with
everybody. The road, wide though it be, seems to
belong solely to him. He is in constant trouble with
citizens and the police, and it is generally on account
of his insignificance, poverty, and ignorance that so
many of his evil doings and wrongs are forgiven.
None the less it must be said for them that they
take fairly good care of their minuscule quadrupeds.
They feed them, usually three times a day, with boiled
chopped straw and beans, and grass in summer-time,
and with this diet you see the little brutes, which are
only about lo hands high, and even less sometimes,
go twenty-five or thirty miles a day quite easily, with a
weight of a couple of hundred pounds on their backs,
quickly toddling along without stopping, unless it be to
administer a sound kick to some bystander or to bite
the legs of the rider. These ponies have a funny
little way of getting from under you, if you ride them
with an English saddle. They bend their legs till
they see you firmly planted on the ground, and then

PONIES 37

quickly withdraw backwards leaving you, with your
legs wide apart and standing like a fool, to meditate
on equine wickedness in the Realm of the Morning
Calm. They are indeed the trickiest little devils for
their size I have ever seen ; and for viciousness and
love of fighting, I can recommend you to no steed more
capable of showing these qualities. The average
price of an animal as above described varies from the
large sum of five shillings to as much as thirty shillings
(at the rate of two shillings per Mexican dollar), the
price of course varying, as with us, according to the
breed, age, training, condition, &c., of the animal.

These ponies are much used all over the kingdom,
for good roads for wheel traffic hardly exist in the
country, and wide horse-tracks form practically the
whole means of communication between the capital and
the most important ports and cities in the different
provinces of Corea. They are used both for riding
purposes and as pack-ponies, *' for light articles only,"
like the racks in our railway carriages, but when heavy
loads are to be conveyed from one place to another,
especially over long distances, the frail pony is discarded
and replaced by the sturdy ox. These horned carriers
are pretty much of a size, and fashioned, so far as I
could see, after the style of our oxen, except that they
are apparently leaner by nature, and almost always
black or very dark grey in colour ; their horns, how-
ever, are rather short. They carry huge weights on a
wooden angular saddle which is planted on their backs,
and a Mapu invariably accompanies each animal when
loaded ; indeed, in the case of the ponies the man even
carries on his own back the food both for himself and

38 COREA

for his beast, the latter generally having the precedence
in eating his share. The sleeping accommodation also
is, as a rule, amicably divided between quadruped and
biped, and, taken all round, it cannot be said that either
is any the worse for their brotherly relations. I firmly
believe that the Mapiis are infinitely better-natured
towards their animals than towards their wives or their
children, who, as you will find by-and-by, are often
cruelly ill-treated.

But let us now continue our journey towards Seoul.
Here several coolies are to be seen approaching us,
carrying heavy loads on their backs. A man of a
higher position follows them. And, strange circum-
stance ! they are carrying money. Yes ; one, two,
three, four, five, six, seven, eight — yes, actually eight
men, bent under heavy loads of coins. Your first idea,
I suppose, will be that these men are carrying a whole
fortune — but, oh dear ! no. You must know that the
currency in Corea is e:ntirely brass, and these brass
coins, which go by the name of cash are round
coins about the size of a halfpenny, with a square
hole in the centre, by which they are strung to-
gether, generally a hundred at a time. There are
usually as many as two thousand to two thousand
eight hundred cash to a Mexican dollar, the equivalent
of which is at present about two shillings ; you can,
therefore, easily imagine what the weight of one's
purse is if it contains even so small a sum as a penny-
worth in Corean currency. Should you, however, be
under an obligation to pay a sum of say, ^lo or ^20,
the hire of two oxen or six or eight coolies becomes an
absolute necessity, for a sum which takes no room in

CURRENCY 39

one's letter-case If In Bank of England notes, occupies a
roomful of hard and heavy metal in the country of the
Morning Calm. Great trouble has been and Is con-
tinually experienced in the kingdom owing to the lack
of gold and silver coins ; but to the Corean mind to
make coins out of gold and to let them go out of the
country amounts to the same thing as willingly trying
to Impoverish the fatherland of the treasures it possesses ;
wherefore, although rich gold-mines are to be found in
Cho-sen, coins of the precious metal are not struck for
the above-mentioned reason.

So much for Corean political economy. The coins
used are of different sizes and value. They range, if I
remember right, from two cash to five, and an examina-
tion of a handful of them will reveal the fact that they
have been struck off at different epochs. There is the
so-called current treasure coin of Cho-sen, one of the
more modern kinds, as well as the older coin of Korai,
the Ko-ka ; while another coin, which seems to have
been struck off in the Eastern provinces, is probably as
old as any of these, and is still occasionally found In use.
The coins, as I have said, are strung together by the
hundred on a straw rope ; a knot is tied when this
number is reached, when another hundred is passed
through, and so on, until several thousands are some-
times strung to one string. As curious as this precious
load Itself was the way In which it was carried. It is,
in fact, the national way which all Corean coolies have
adopted for conveying heavy weights, and it seems to
answer well, for I have often seen men of no very
abnormal physique carry a burden that would make
nine out of ten ordinary men collapse under its heavy

40 COREA

mass. The principle is much the same as that used by
the porters in Switzerland, and also in some parts of
Holland, if I am not mistaken. A triangular wooden
frame rests on the man's back by means of two straps
or ropes passed over the shoulders and round the arms.
From this frame project two sticks, about 35 inches in

length, on which the weight rests,
and by bending the body at a
lower or higher angle, according
to the height or pressure of the
load, a perfect balance is obtained,
and the effort of the carrier con-
siderably diminished. For heavy
loads like wood, for instance, the
process of loading is curious. The

COOLIES' ARRANGEMENT FOR r * *. ^l. J J

CARRYING LOADS ^^^me IS Set upon the ground, and

made to remain in position by
being inclined at an angle of about 45° against a stick
forked at the upper end, with which every coolie is
provided. When in this position^ the cargo is put on
and tied with a rope if necessary ; then, the stick being
carefully removed, squatting down gently so as not to
disturb the position of the load, the coolie quickly passes
his arms through the straps and thus slings the thing
on to the back, the stick being now used as a help to
the man to rise by instalments from his difficult position
without collapsing or coming to grief Once standing,
he is all right, and it is wonderful what an amount of
endurance and muscular strength the beggars have, for
they will carry these enormous loads for miles and
miles without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.
1 hey toddle along quickly, taking remarkably short

THE HAN RIVER 41

Steps, and resting every now and then on their forked
stick, upon the upper end of which they lay their hands,
forcing it against the chest and the ground, and so
making it a sort oi point (Tappui.

Just a word as to the cooHe's moral qualities. He
much resembles in this the Neapolitan lazzarone — in
fact, I do not know of any other individual in Eastern
Asia that is such a worthy rival of the Italian macaroni-
eater. The coolie will work hard when hungry, and he
will do his work well, but the moment he is paid off
the chances are that, like his confrere on the Gulf of
Naples, he will at once go and drink a good part of
what he has received ; then, in a state of intoxication,
he will gamble the next half ; and after that he will
go to sleep for twenty-four hours on a stretch, and
remain the next twelve squatting on the ground, bask-
ing in the sun by the side of his carrying-machine, pon-
dering, still half asleep, on his foolishness, and seeking
for fresh orders from passers-by who may require the
services of a human beast of burden. Then you may
see them In a row near the road-side drinking huts,
either smoking their pipes, which are nearly three feet
in length, or if not in the act of smoking, with the
pipe stuck down their neck into the coat and down
into the trousers, in immediate contact with the skin.

Going along at a good pace I reached the half-way
house, a characteristically Corean building, formerly
used as an inn, and now being rented by a Japanese.
Having entertained myself to tea and a few items of
solid food, I proceeded on my pedestrian journey
towards the capital. And now, as I gradually ap-
proached the river Han, more attention seemed to be

42 COREA

given to the cultivation of the country The staple
product of cereals here is mainly buckwheat, beans
and millet, a few rice-fields also being found nearer the
water-side. Finally, having arrived at the riverside,
after shouting for half an hour to the ferry boatman
to come and pick me up, I in due course landed on the
other side. The river Han makes a most wonderful
detour between its estuary and this point. As the
river was left behind, more habitations in the shape of
miserable and filthy mud-huts, with thatched roofs, be-
came visible ; shops of eatables and native low drink-
ing places following one another in continuation ;
and crow^ds of ponies, people, and oxen showed that
the capital was now being fast neared; and sure enough,
after winding along the dirty, narrow road, lined by the
still dirtier mud huts for nearly the whole of the dis-
tance between Mafu, the place where the Han river
was ferried, and here, a distance of about three miles,
I found myself at last in front of the West Gate of the
walled city of Seoul.

I could hear quite plainly in the distance, from the
centre of the town the slow sound of a bell ; and men,
women and children, on foot or riding, were scrambling
through the gate in both directions. As I stopped for
a moment to gaze upon the excited crowd, it suddenly
flashed across my mind that I had been told at Che-
mulpo, that to the mournful sound of what is called the
" Big bell " the heavy wooden gates lined with iron
bars were closed, and that no one was thereafter allowed
to enter or go out of the town. The sun was just casting
his last glorious rays on the horizon, and the excite-
ment grew greater as the strokes of the bell became

NEARLY LOCKED OUT 45

fainter and fainter, and with the mad crowd of men and
beasts mixed together upon it, the road might be com-
pared with the tide entering the mouth of a running
river. I threw myself into the thick of the in-going
flow, and with my feet trampled upon by passing ponies ;
now knocking against a human being, now face to face
with a bull, I finally managed to get inside. Well do
I remember the hoarse voices of the gate-keepers, as
they shouted out that time was up, and hurried the
weary travellers within the precincts of the royal city ;
well also do I recollect, as I stood watching their doings
from the inside, how they pushed back and ill-treated,
with words and kicks, the last people who passed
through, and then, out of patience, revolved the heavy
gates on their huge and rusty hinges, finally closing the
city until sunrise next day. Shouts of people, just
too late, on the other side, begging to be let in,
remained unacknowledged, and the enormous padlocks
and bolts having been thoroughly fastened, Seoul was
severed from the outer world till the following morn-
ing. Adjoining the gate stood the gatekeeper's house,
and in front of the door of this, a rack with a few rusty
and obsolete spears standing in a row, was left to
take care of the town and its inhabitants, while the
guardians, having finished the work of the day, re-
treated to the warm room inside to resume the game
or gambling which the setting sun had interrupted, and
which had occupied their day. With the setting of the
sun every noise ceased. Every good citizen retired to
his home, and I, too, therefore, deemed it advisable to
follow suit.

There are no hotels in Seoul, with the exception of

44 COREA

the very dirty Corean inns ; but I was fortunate enough
to meet at Chemulpo a Russian gentleman who, with
his family, lived in Seoul, where he was employed as
architect to His Majesty the King of Corea, and he
most politely invited me to stay at his house for a few
days ; and it is to his kind hospitality, therefore, that I
owe the fact that my first few nights at Seoul were spent
comfortably and my days were well employed, my
peregrinations round the town being also conducted
under his guidance.

CHAPTER IV

t

TheCoreans — Theirfaces an4 heads — Bachelors — Married men — Head-
band— Hats — Hat-umbrellas — Clothes — Spectacles.

Being now settled for the time being in Seoul, I must
introduce you to the Corean, not as a nation, you must
understand, but as an individual. It is a prevalent
idea that the Coreans are Chinese, and therefore
exactly like them in physique and appearance, and, if
not like the Chinese, that they must be like their
neighbours on the other side — the Japanese. As a
matter of fact, they are like neither. Naturally the
continuous incursions of both Chinese and Japanese
into this country have left distinct traces of their pas-
sage on the general appearance of the people ; and, of
course, the distinction which I shall endeavour to make
is not so marked as that between whites and blacks,
for the Coreans, speaking generally, do bear a certain
resemblance to the other peoples of Mongolian origin.
Though belonging to this family, however, they form
a perfectly distinct branch of it. Not only that, but
when you notice a crowd of Coreans you will be amazed
to see among them people almost as white and with
features closely approaching the Aryan, these being, the
higher classes in the kingdom. The more common
type is the yellow-skinned face, with slanting eyes, high

46 COREA

cheek-bones, and thick, hanging lips. But, again, you
will observe faces much resemblingf the Thibetans
and Hindoos, and if you carry your observations still
further you will find all over the kingdom, mostly
among the coolie classes, men as black as Africans, or
like the people of Asia Minor.

For any one interested in types and crosses, I really
do not know of a country more interesting than Cho-
sen. It seems as if specimens of almost every race
populating Asia had reached and remained in the
small peninsula, which fact would to some degree dis-
prove the theory that all migrations have moved from
the east towards the west and from north to south, and
never vice versa.

If you take the royal family of Corea, for instance,
you will find that the king and queen, and all the royal
princes, especially on the queen's side (the Min family),
are as white as any Caucasian, and that their eyes are
hardly slanting at all, and in some cases are quite as
straight as ours. Members of some of the nobler
families also might be taken for Europeans. Of course
the middle classes are of the Mongolian type, though
somewhat more refined and stronger built than the
usual specimens of either Chinese or Japanese ; they
are, however, not quite so wiry and tall as their
northern neighbours the Manchus, with whom, never-
theless, they have many points in common. The large
invasions, as we have seen, of the Ko-korais and Fuyus
may account for this.

Taken altogether, the Corean is a fine-looking fellow ;
his face is oval-shaped, and generally long when seen
full face, but it is slightly concave in profile, the nose

COREAN FACES

47

being somewhat flat at the bridge between the eyes,
and possessing wide nostrils. The chin is generally-
small, narrow and receding, while the lips, usually the
weaker part in the Corean face, are as a rule heavy,
the upper lip
turned up and
showing the
teeth, while the
lower one hangs
pitifully down-
wards, denoting,
therefore, little
or no strength
of character.
They possess
good teeth and
these are beau-
tifully white,
which is a bless-
ing for people
like them who
continually show
them. The al-
mond - shaped,
jet - black eyes,
veiled by that
curious weird
look peculiar to

Eastern eyes, is probably the redeeming part of their
face, and in them is depicted good-nature, pride and
softness of heart. In many cases one sees a shrewd,
quick eye, but it is generally an exception among

A IlACIlI.L01i

48 COREA

this type, while among the lower classes, the black
ones, it is almost a chief characteristic. The cheek-
bones are prominent. The hair is scanty on the
cheeks, chin, and over and under the lips, but quite
luxuriant on the head. There is a very curious
custom in Corea as to how you should wear your
hair, and a great deal of importance is attached to
the custom. If by chance you are a bachelor — and if
you are, you must put up with being looked down upon
by everybody in Corea — you have to let your hair
grow long, part it carefully in the middle of your
skull, and have it made up into a thick tress at the
back of your head, which arrangement marks you
out as a single man and an object of sport, for
in the Land of the Morning Calm it seems that you
can only be a bachelor under the two very circum-
stances under which we, in our land of all-day rest-
lessness, generally marry, viz., if you are a fool and if
you have not a penny to live upon ! When thus
unhappily placed you rank, according to Corean ideas,
as a child, no matter what your age is, and you dress
as a child, being even allowed to wear coloured coats
when the country is in mourning, as it was, when I
visited it, for the death of the dowager- Queen Regent,
and everybody is compelled to wear white, an order
that if not quickly obeyed by a married man means
probably to him the loss of his head. Thus, though
looked down upon as outcasts and wretches, bachelors
none the less do enjoy some privileges out there. Here
is yet another one. They never wear a hat ; another
exemption to be taken into consideration when you
will see, a little further on, what a Corean hat is like.

MARRIED MEN

49

Married men, on the other hand — and ninety-nine
per hundred are married in Cho-sen — wear their hair
done up in a most wonderful fashion. It is not as
long as that of bachelors, for it is cut. It is combed, with
the head down, in the orthodox fashion, as women do,

I suppose, when

they comb it by
themselves, and
then passing the
left hand under
it, along the fore-
head, it is caught
close to the head
just about the
middle of the
skull. This be-
ing satisfactorily
done, what re-
mains of the hair
above the hand
is twisted round
into the shape
and size of a sau-
sage, which then
remains sticking
up perpendicu-
larly on the top of the head, and which, in the natural
order of things, goes by the sensible name of top-
knot. Occasionally a little silver or metal bead is
attached to the top of the knot, and a small tortoise-
shell ornament fastened to the hair just over the
forehead. This completes the married man's hair-

UK MARRIHU MKX

50 COREA

dressing, with which he is always most careful, and I
must say that the black straight hair thus arranged
does set off the head very well. The illustration
shows the profile of a married man of the coolie class,
who, of course, wears the hair ^dressed just like the
others, it being a national custom ; only the richer and
smarter people, of course, wear it more tidily, and,
probably, not quite so artistically. Besides, the better
class of people are not content with the process of
beautifying themselves which I have just described,
but surround the forehead, temples and back of the
head with a head-band, a curious arrangement made
of woven black horsehair, which keeps the real hair
tight under it, and not only prevents it from being
blown about, but forms a more solid basis for the won-
derful hats they wear. The nobler classes, upon whom
the king has bestowed decorations in the shape of jade,
gold or silver buttons, according to the amount of
honour he has meant to accord them, wear these
decorations, of all places, behind the ears, and fastened
tight to the head-band.

Thus much on the subject of the Corean's head. I
shall spare you, my dear readers, the description of
his body, for it is just like any other body, more or less
well made, with the exception that it is invariably un-
washed. Instead, I shall proceed to inspect with you
his wardrobe and his clothing, which may be to you, I
hope, much more interesting. To do this, let us walk
along the main street of the town, where the traffic is
generally great, and examine the people who go by.
Here is a well-to-do man, probably a merchant. Two
features at once strike you : his hat, the kat-si, and

HATS 51

his shoes ; and then, his funny white padded clothes.
But let us examine him carefully in detail. It is a
little difficult to decide at which end one should begin
to describe him, but I imagine that it is the customary
thing to begin with the head, and so, coming close to
him, let us note how curiously his hat is made. It is
just like a Welshwoman's hat in shape, or, in other
words, like a flowerpot placed on a flat dish, as seen
in the illustration ; but the extraordinary thing about
the Corean hat is that it is quite transparent, and has
none of the virtues that, according to our ideas, a hat
ought to possess. It is a wonderful work of art, for it
is made of horse-hair, or, more commonly, of split
bamboo so finely cut in threads as to resemble white
horse-hair, and then woven into a fine net in the shape
described. A thin bamboo frame keeps it well together,
and gives to it a certain solidity, but though varnished
over, it protects one's head from neither sun, wind, nor
rain. It is considered a rude thing in Corea to take
one's hat off, even in the house, and therefore the
kat-si, not requiring instant removal or putting on, is
provided with two hooks at the sides of the central
cone, to each of which a white ribbon is attached, to be
tied under the chin when the hat is worn, the latter
resting, not on the hair itself, but on the head-band.
This shape of hat is never worn without the head-
band.

The hat just described is that most commonly worn
in the Land of the Morning Calm, and that which one
sees on the generality of people. But there ! look at
that man passing along leading a bull — he has a hat
large enough to protect a whole family. It is like a

52

COREA

huge pyramid made of basket-work of split bamboo or
plaited reeds or rushes, and it covers him almost half
way down to his waist. Well, that poor man is in
private mourning for the death of a relation, and
he covers his face thus to show his grief

Here, again,
comes another
individual with a
transparent hat
like the first,
only worn over
a big hood open
at the top over
the head and fall-
ing rounded over
the shoulders,
thus protecting
the ears from the
severe cold. This
is lined with fur,
with which it is
also trimmed,
and looks quite
furry and warm,
if not exactly be-
coming. Ah ! but here is something even more curious
in the shape of head-gear. It is just beginning to
snow, and, one after the other, our transparent kat-sis
are undergoing a transformation. I daresay, as we
stand watching the people go by, it will be noticed that
nearly each one who has a transparent hat, also wears
in his orirdle round his waist a triangular object made

„,»..- .

< _

Jp^

r^ ^

¥^ .»

f^P'^

-».

^

^ •?*

?■

~^

*m\

/

\ \

/

\

/ ;

THE HEAD-BAND AND TRANSPARENT HAT

HAT-UMBRELLAS 53

of yellow oil-paper which resembles a fan. Well, now,
you will see what it is. An oldish man turns up his
nose to scrutinise the intentions of the weather-clerk,
and, apparently little satisfied at the aspect of the
threatening clouds, stops, and unsheathing his fan-like
object from his belt, opens it, when it is seen to become
like a small umbrella without the stick and handle,
about two and a half feet only in diameter, which, by
means of a string, he fastens over his brand new hat.
When thus used, it takes the shape of a cone, except,
of course, that there will be a multitude of folds in it.
It is called kat-7io. The idea is not at all bad, is it ?
for here you have an umbrella without the trouble of
tiring your arms in carrying it.

One cannot help being considerably puzzled by the
differences in the various classes and conditions of the
men. To all appearance, the generality of men seem
here dressed alike, with this difference, that some are
dirtier than others ; occasionally one has an extra gar-
ment, but that is all. Yes, there is, indeed, difficulty
at first in knowing who and what any one is, but with a
little trouble and practice the difficulty is soon over-
come. In the main the clothes worn by the men are
the same, only a great difference is to be found in
the way these garments are cut and sewn, just as we
can distinguish in a moment the cut of a Bond Street
tailor from that of a suburban one. In Corea, the
tailor, as a rule, is one's wife, for she is the person
entrusted with the cares of cutting, sewing, and padding
up her better-halfs attire. No wonder, then, that
nine-tenths of the top-knotted consorts look regular
bags as they walk about. The national costume itself,

54 COREA

it must be confessed, does rather tend to deform the
appearance of the human body, which it is supposed
to adorn. First, there is a huge pair of cotton
trousers, through each leg of which one can pass the
whole of one's body easily, and these trousers are
padded all over with cotton wool, no underclothing
being worn. When these are put on, they reach from
the chin to the feet, on to which they fall in ample and
graceful folds, and you don them by holding them up
with your teeth, and fastening them anywhere near and
round your waist with a pretty, long silk ribbon with
tassels, which is generally let hang down artistically
over the right side. When this has been successfully
accomplished, the extra length of trousers is rolled up
so as to prevent the '' unmentionables" from being left
behind as you walk away, and a short coat, tight at the
shoulders and in the shape of a bell, with short but
wide sleeves, is put on to cover the upper part of the
body. This coat also, like the trousers, is padded, and
reaches almost to the haunches. It overlaps on
the right hand side, two long ribbons being tied there
into a pretty single-winged knot and the two ends left
hanging. In winter time, the fore-arm, which in sum-
mer remains bare, is protected by a separate short
muff, or sleeve, through which the hand is passed, and
which reaches just over the elbow.

Then come the padded socks, in which the huge
trousers are tucked, and which are fastened round
the ankle with a ribbon. And, lastly, now we come to
the shoes. Those used by the better classes are made
of hide, and have either leather soles with nails under-
neath, or else wooden soles like the Chinese ones with

CLOTHES 55

the turned-up toes. The real Corean shoe, however, as
used every day for walking and not for show, is truly a
peculiar one. The principal peculiarity about it is that
it is made of paper ; which sounds like a lie, though
indeed it is not. Another extraordinary thing is that
you can really walk in them. If you do not believe it,
all you have to do is to take the first steamer to Corea
and you can easily convince yourself of the fact. The
greater part of the population wears them, and the
Maples especially walk enormous distances in them.
They are scarcely real shoes, however, and one should,
perhaps, classify them rather as a cross between a shoe
and a sandal, for that is just what they are. The toes
are protected by numberless little strings of curled
untearable paper, which, when webbed, make the sole,
heel, and back of the sandal, and this is joined to the
point of the shoe by a stouter cord going right round,
which is also made of the same kind of twisted paper.
This cord can be fastened tighter or looser to suit the
convenience of the wearer of the sandal-shoe.

The Corean is an unfortunate being. He has no
pockets. If his hands are cold he must warm them
by sticking them down his belt into his trousers, and
if he be in company with people, he can generate a
certain amount of heat by putting each into the other
arm's sleeve. As for the money, tobacco, &;c., that he
wants to carry, he is compelled to provide himself with
little silk bags, which he attaches to his waist-band
or to the ribbon of his coat. These bags are generally
of orange colour or blue, and they relieve a little the
monotony of the everlasting white dresses.

The clothing, so far as I have described it, is, with

$6 COREA

the exception of the shoes, that which Is worn habitually
In the house by the better classes of the people ; the
officials, however, wear a horse-hair high cap resembling
a papal tiara on the head, instead of the other form of
hat. Indoors, the shoes are not worn, the custom of
Japan being prevalent, namely, to leave them at the
door as one mounts the first step into the room. The
middle lower classes and peasantry are seldom found
parading the streets with anything besides what I have
described, with the exception of the long pipe which
they, like the Mapu or the coolies, keep down the back
of the neck when not using it. Merchants, policemen,
and private gentlemen are arrayed, In winter especially,
in a long cotton or silk gown similarly padded, an
overall which reaches below the knees, and some,
especially those In the Government employ, or in some
official position, wear either without this or over this
an additional sleeveless garment made of four long
strips of cotton or silk, two In front and two at the
back, according to the grade, almost touching the feet
and divided both in front and at the back as far up as
the waist, round which a ribbon is tied. This, then. Is
the everyday wardrobe of a Corean of any class. You
may add, if you please, a few miscellaneous articles such
as gaiters and extra bags, but never have I seen any
man of Cho-sen walk about w'th more habiliments than
these, although I have many times seen people who
had a great deal less. The clothes are of cotton or
silk accordinof to the ofrade and riches of the wearer.
Buttons are a useless luxury In Cho-sen, for neither
men nor women recognise their utility ; on the contrary,
the natives display much amusement and chaff at the

CLOTHES 57

stupid foreign barbarian who goes and cuts any number
of buttonholes in the finest clothing, which, in their
idea, is an incomprehensible mistake and shows want
of appreciation.

Their method of managing things by means of loops
and ribbons, has an effect which is not without its
picturesqueness, perhaps more so than is our system
of '' keeping things together " in clothing matters.
After all it is only a matter of opinion. The inhabit-
ants of the land of Cho-sen, from my experience, are
not much given to washing and still less to bathing. I
have seen them wash their hands fairly often, and the
face occasionally ; only the very select people of Corea
wash it daily. One would think that, with such a
very scanty and irregular use of water for the purpose
of cleanliness, they should look extremely dirty ; but
not a bit. It was always to me irritating^ to the last
degree to see how clean those dirty people looked !

But let us notice one or two more of the people that
are passing by. It is now snowing hard, and every one
carries his own umbrella on his head. Boys do not
wear hats, and are provided with a large umbrella with
a bamboo-frame that fits the head, as also are the
bachelors. Here comes one of the latter class. His
face is a finely cut one, and with his hair parted in the
middle, and the big tress hanging down his back, he has
indeed more the appearance of a woman than that of a
man ; hence the mistake often made by hasty travellers
in putting down these bachelors as women, is easy to
understand. When one is seen for the first time, it is
really difficult to say to which sex he belongs, so
effeminate does he look.

58 COREA

It is part of the ambition of the male Corean to
look wise, no matter whether he is or not as a matter
of fact. And to assume the coveted air of wisdom
what more is necessary than to put on a huge pair of
round spectacles of Chinese origin with smoked glasses
enclosed in a frame of gold or tortoiseshell, and with
clasps over the ears ? Oh how wise he looks ! He
does indeed ! And you should see his pomposity as he
rides his humble donkey through the streets of Seoul.
There he sits like a statue, supported by his servants,
looking neither to one side nor to the other, lest he
should lose his dignity.

*' Era, Era, Era!" (^'Make way, Make way ! ") cry out
the servants as he passes among the crowd, which is
invariably respectful and ready to obey this hero who
looks down upon them. The lesser the official, of
course the greater the air, and you should see how the
people who stand in the way are knocked to one side
by his servants, should they not be quick enough to
make room for the dignitary and his donkey. His
long gown is carefully arranged on the sides and
behind, covering the saddle and donkey's back in large
folds ; for most things in Corea, as in other parts of the
world, are done for the sake of appearance. What a
dreadful thing it would be, were he to ride about with
his gown crumpled up under his seat ! It would be the
cause of lifelong unhappiness, remorse and shame, and
no doubt cost his servants a sound flogging for their
unpardonable carelessness.

CHAPTER V

The Woman of Cho-sen — Her clothes — Her ways — Her looks — Her
privileges — Her duties — Her temper — Difference of classes — Femi-
nine musicians.

It will now be proper, I think, since I have given you
a rough sketch of the man of Cho-sen and his clothes,
to describe in a general way to you the weaker sex —
not an easy task — and what they wear — a much more
difficult task still, — for I have not the good fortune to
be conversant with the intricacies of feminine habili-
ments, and therefore hope to be excused if, in dealing
with this part of my subject, I do not always use the
proper terms applicable to the different parts that com-
pose it. Relying, then, upon my readers' indulgence
in this respect, I shall attempt to give an idea of what
a Corean female is like. It has always been a feature
in my sceptical nature to think that the more one sees
of women the less one knows them ; according to
which principle, I should know Corean women very
well, for one sees but little of them. Be that as it
may, however, I shall proceed to give my impressions
of them.

As is pretty generally known, the women of Cho-sen,
with the exception of the lower classes, are kept in seclu-
sion. They are seldom allowed to go out, and when they

6o COREA

do they cover their faces with white or green hoods,
very similar in shape to those worn by the women at
Malta. They appear, or pretend to be, shy of men,
and foreigners in particular, and generally hide when
one is approaching, especially if in a solitary street. I
remember how astonished I was the first few days
I was in Seoul, at the fact that every woman I
came across in the streets was just on the point of
opening a door and entering a house. It seemed so
strange to me that damsel after damsel whom I met
should just be reaching home as I was passing,
that I began to think that I was either dreaming, or
that every house belonged to every woman in the
town. The idea suddenly dawned upon me that it
was only a trick on their part to evade being seen,
and on further inquiry into the matter from a Corean
friend, I discovered that a woman has a right to
open and enter any door of a Corean house when she
sees a foreign man appearing on the horizon, as the
reputation of the masculine *' foreign devil " is still far
from having reached a high standard of morality in
the minds of the gentler sex of Cho-sen. In the main
street and big thoroughfares, where at all times there
are crowds of people, there is more chance of approach-
ing them without this running away, for in Corea, as
elsewhere, great reliance is placed on the saying that
there is safety in numbers. So it was mainly here that
I made my first studies of the retiring ways and quaint
costumes of the Corean damsel.

Yes, the costume really is quaint, and well it deserves
to be described. They wear huge padded trousers,
similar to those of the men, their socks also being

CLOTHES OF COREAN WOMEN

6i

padded with cotton wool. The latter are fastened
tightly round the ankles to the trousers by means of a
ribbon. You must not think, however, that the dame
of Cho-sen walks about the streets attired in this manly
garment, for over
these trousers she
wears a shortish
skirt tied very high
over the waist. Both
trousers and skirt
are generally white,
and of silk or cotton
according to the
grade, position in
life, and extrava-
gance of those who
wear them. A tiny
jacket, usually
white, red, or green,
completes the ward-
robe of most Corean
women ; one pecu-
liarity of which is
that It is so short
that both breasts
are left uncovered,
which is a curious and most unpractical fashion, the
climate of Corea, as we have already seen, being
exceedingly cold — much colder than Russia or even
Canada. The hair, of which the women have no
very great abundance, is very simply made up,
plastered down flat with some sort of stenching oil>

A COREAN BEAUTY

62 COREA

parted in the middle, and tied into a knot at the back
of the head, pretty much in the same way as clergy-
men's wives ordinarily wear it. A heavy-looking
silver or metal pin, or sometimes two, may also be
found inserted in this knot as an ornament. I have
often seen young girls and old women wear a curious
fur cap, especially in winter, but this cannot be said to
be in general use. It is in the shape of the section of
a cone, the upper part of which is covered with silk,
while the lower half is ornamented with fur and two
long silk ribbons which hang at the back and nearly
reach the ground when the cap is worn. The upper
part of this cap, curiously enough, is open, and on
either side of the hole thus formed there are two silk
tassels, generally red or black in colour. When
smartly worn, this cap is quite becoming, but unfor-
tunately, whether this be worn or not, the modest
fnaiden of Cho-sen covers her head and face with a
long green sort of an overall coat which she uses as a
mantilla or hood, throwing it over the head and keeping
it closed over the face with the left hand.

It must not on this account be imagined that there
are not in Cho-sen women as coquettish as anywhere
else, for, indeed, the prettier ones, either pretending that
the wind blows back the hood, or that the hand that
holds it over the face has slipped, or using some other
excuse of the kind with which a woman is always so
well provided, take every opportunity of showing you
how pretty they are and of admiring them, particularly
when they get to know who you are, where you hail
from, and who your Corean friends are. The ugly
ones, of course, are always those who make the most

WOMEN'S LOOKS 63

fuss, and should you see a woman in the street hide
her face so that you cannot see it at all, you may be
very sure that her countenance is not worth looking at,
and that she herself is perfectly conscious of Nature's
unkindness to her.

As for several months I was seen day after day
sketching in the streets, the people got to know me
well, and since the Coreans themselves are very fond
of art, although they are not very artistic themselves,
I made numerous friends among them, and even, I
might say, became popular.

Vanity is a ruling characteristic of all people, and
acting on this little weakness I was able to see more of
the Corean damsel than most casual travellers.

We find, it is true, pros and cons when we come to
analyse her charms, but taking the average maid, she
cannot be said to be worse in Corea than she is in
other countries. She can be pretty and she can be
ugly. When she is pretty, she is as pretty as they
make them, and when she is the other way she is as
ugly as sin, if not even worse. But let us take a good-
looking one. Look at her sad little oval face, with
arched eyebrows and with jet black, almond-shaped
eyes, softened by the long eyelashes. Her nose is
straight, though it might to advantage be a little less
flat, and she possesses a sweet little mouth, just showing
two pretty teeth as white as snow. There seems to be
so much dignity and repose about her movements when
you first see her, that you almost take her for a small
statue. Hardly will she condescend to turn her face
round or raise it up to look at you and even less inclined
does she seem to smile, such is her modesty ; once her

64

COREA

shyness has worn off, however, she improves wonderfully.
Her face brightens, and the soft, affectionate, distant
look in her eyes is enough to mash into pulp the
strongest of mankind. She is simple and natural, and

in this chiefly lies
her charm. She
would not com-
pare in beauty
with a European
woman, for she is
neither so tall nor
so well developed,
but among women
of far-Eastern
nationality she,
to my mind, takes
the cake for ac-
tual beauty and
refinement. The
Japanese women
of whom one
hears so much,
though more ar-
tistically clad, are
not a patch on the
Venuses of Cho-
sen, and both in
respect of lightness of complexion and the other above-
named qualities they seemed to me to approach nearest
to the standard of European feminine beauty. Their
dress, as you may have judged by my rough descrip-
tion, is more quaint than graceful, and cannot be said

A LADY AT HOME

DIFFERENCE OF CLASSES 65

to be at all becoming ; nevertheless, when one's eyes
have got accustomed to it, I have seen girls look
quite pretty in it. I remember one in particular, a
concubine of one of the king's ministers, whom I was
fortunate enough to get to sit for me. She did not
look at all bad in her long blue veil gown, much longer
than the white one usually worn, which it covered, the
white silk trousers just showing over the ankles, and a
pretty pair of blue and white shoes fitting her tiny feet.
She wore a little red jacket, of which she seemed very
proud, and she smoked cigarettes and a pipe, though
her age, I believe, was only seventeen.

Women of the commoner classes can always be
detected, not only by the coarser clothes they wear, but
also by the way their hair is made up. Two long
tresses are rolled up on the back of the head into a
sort of turban, and though to my eye, innocent of the
feminine tricks of hair-dressing, it looked all real and
genuine, and a curious contrast to the infinitely less
luxuriant growth of the better classes of women, I was
told that a good deal of braids and " stuffing " was
employed to swell their coiffures into the much-coveted
fashionable size.

One very strange custom in Corea is the privilege
accorded to women to walk about the streets of the
town at night after dark, while the men are confined
to the house from about an hour after sunset and, until
lately, were severely punished both with imprisonment
and flogging, if found walking about the streets during
** women's hours." The gentler sex was and is A
therefore allowed to parade the streets, and go and
pay calls on their parents and lady friends, until a very

X

^6 COREA

late hour of the night, without fear of being disturbed
by the male portion of the community. Few, however,
avail themselves of the privilege, for unfortunately in
Corea there are many tigers and leopards, which, dis-
regarding the early closing of the city gates, climb
with great ease over the high wall and take nightly
peregrinations over the town, eating up all the dogs
which they find on their way and occasionally even
human beings. Tigers have actually been known to
rudely run their paws through the invulnerable paper
windows of a mud house, drag out a struggling body
roughly awoke from slumber, and devour the same
peacefully in the middle of the street.

Since then a rencontre with a hungry individual of
this nature during a moonlight walk is sure to be some-
what unpleasant, it is not astonishing that it is but
very, very rarely that at any hour of the night the
Cho-sen damsel avails herself of the privilege accorded
her. The woman, as I have already mentioned, is con-
sidered nothing in Corea. The only privilege she has,
as we have just seen, is the chance of being torn to
pieces and eaten up by a wild beast when she is out
for a constitutional, and that we may safely say is not a
privilege to be envied. The poor thing has no name,
and when she is born she goes by the vague denomina-
tion of " So-and-so's " daughter. When there are
several girls in the family, to avoid confusion, surnames
are found convenient enough, but they are again lost
the moment she marries, which, as we shall see in
another chapter, often happens at a very early age.
She then becomes " So-and-so's " wife. The woman
in Corea has somewhat of a sad and dull life, for from

PRIVILEGES OF WOMEN d-j

the age of four or five she is separated even from her
brothers and brought up in a separate portion of the
house, and from that time ideas are pounded into her
poor little head as to the disgrace of talking, or even
being looked at by humans of a different gender. The
higher classes, of course, suffer most from the enforce-
ment of this strict etiquette, for in the very lowest
grades of society the woman enjoys comparative free-
dom. She can talk to men as much as she pleases,
and even goes out unveiled, being much too low a
being to be taken any notice of; the upper classes,
however, are very punctilious as to the observance of
their severe rules. The Corean woman is a slave.
She is used for pleasure and work. She can neither
speak nor make any observations, and never is she
allowed to see any man other than her husband. She
has the right of the road in the streets, and the men are
courteous to her. Not only do the men make room
for her to pass, but even turn their faces aside so as not
to gaze at her. There are numberless stories of a tragic
character in Corean literature, of lovely maidens that
have committed suicide, or have been murdered by their
husbands, brothers, or fathers, only for having been seen
by men, and even to the present day a husband would be
considered quite justified in the eye of the law if he were
to kill his wife for the great sin of having spoken to
another man but himself ! A widow of the upper class
is not allowed to re-marry, and if she claims any pretence
of having loved her late husband, she ought to try to
follow him to the other world at the earliest conveni-
ence by committing the jamun, a simple performance
by which the devoted wife is only expected to cut her

68 COREA

throat or rip her body open with a sharp sword. They
say that it is a mere nothing, when you know how to
do it, but it always struck me, that practising a Httle
game of that sort would not be an easy matter. For
the sake of truth, I must confess that it was a husband
who depreciated the worthy act. The lower people
are infinitely more sensible. Though a woman of this
class were to lose twenty husbands, she would never
for a moment think of doing away with herself, but
would soon enter into her twenty-first matrimonial
alliance.

Women, somehow or other, are scarce in Corea, and
always in great demand. The coolies, and people of a
similar or lower standing, cannot do without a female
companion, for it is she who prepares the food, washes
the clothes, and sews them up. She is beaten con-
stantly, and very often she beats the man, for the Corean
woman can have a temper at times. Jealousy en phcs
is one of her chief virtues. I have seen women in Seoul
nearly tearing one another to pieces, and, O Lord !
how masterly they are in the art of scratching. The
men on such occasions stand round them, encouraging
them to fight, the husbands enjoying the fun more
than the other less interested spectators. The women
of the lower classes seem to be in a constant state of
excitement and anger. They are always insulting one
another, calling each other names, or scolding and
even ill-treating their own children. What is more
extraordinary still to European ears, is that I once
actually saw a wife stand up for her husband, and she
did it in a way that I am not likely soon to forget.

A soldier was peacefully walking along a narrow

WOMEN'S WAYS 69

Street, half of which was a sort of drain canal, the water
of which was frozen over, when a man came out of a
house and stopped him. The conversation became
hot at once, and with my usual curiosity, the only
virtue I have ever possessed, I stopped to see the
result.

''You must pay me back the money I lent you,"
said the civilian in a very angry tone of voice.

'' I have not got it," answered the military man,
trying to get away.

"Ah! you have not got it?" screamed a third
personage, a woman emerging from the doorway, and
without further notice hit the soldier on the head with
the heavy wooden mallet commonly used for beating
clothes.

The husband, encouraged by this unexpected re-
inforcement, boldly attacked the soldier, and, whilst they
were occupied in wrestling and trying to knock each
other down, the infuriated woman kept up a con-
stant administration of blows, half at least of which,
in her aimless hurry, were received by the com-
panion of her life for whom she was fighting. Once
she hit the poor man so hard — by mistake — that
he fell down in a dead faint, upon which the soldier
ran for his life, while she, jumping like a tiger at him,
caught him by the throat, spinned him round like a
top, and floored him, knocking him down on the ice.
Then she pounced on him, with her eyes out of her
head with anger, and giving way to her towering
passion, pounded him on the head with her heels while
she was hitting him on the back with her mallet.

" You have killed my husband, too, you scoundrel ! "

70 COREA

she cried, while the defeated warrior was struggling-
hard, though in vain, to escape.

As she was about to administer him a blow on the
head that would have been enough to kill a bull, she
fortunately slipped on the ice and went sprawling over
her victim. The soldier, more dead than alive, had
raised himself on his knees, when that demon in female
attire rose again and embracing him most tenderly, bit
his cheek so hard as to draw a regular stream of blood.
I could stand it no longer, and proceeded on to the
slippery ice to try to separate them, but hardly was I
within reach than I was presented with a sound blow
on my left knee from the mallet which she was still
manipulating with alarming dexterity, by which I was at
once placed hors de combat before I had time even to
offer my services as a peace-maker. Not only that,
but besides the numberless ''stars" which she made
me see, the pain which she caused me was so
intense that, hopping along as best I could on to the
street again, I deemed it prudent to let them fight out
their own quarrel and go about my own business.

" Never again as long as I live," I swore, when I
was well out of sight, as I rubbed my poor knee, swollen
up to the size of an ^^%, *' never shall I interfere in other
people's quarrels. Who would have foreseen this ? and
from a woman, too ! "

It is, indeed, easy to be a philosopher after the
event, but it is strange how very often one gets into
fearful rows and trouble without having had the
slightest intention either to offend or to annoy the
natives. Here is another little anecdote which I
narrated some months ago in the Fortnightly RevieWy

FIGHT OVER A CHILD 71

and which is a further proof of the violent temper of
the women-folk of the lower classes in Cho-sen. The
Coreans in general, and the women in particular, are at
times extremely superstitious, which partly accounts for
the violent scene in question, which arose out of a mere
nothing, and nearly resulted in a most serious case of
wilful infanticide. This is how things stood.

I was sketching one day outside the east gate of
Seoul, and, as usual, was surrounded by a large
crowd of natives, when a good-natured old man with a
kindly face attracted my attention, as he lifted up in his
arms a pretty little child, on whose head he had
placed his horse-hair transparent hat, and asked
me whether I would like to paint the little one so
attired in my picture. I was tempted by the offer,
and, having taken up a fresh panel, proceeded to dash
off a sketch of my new model in his pretty red frock,
his tiny padded socks, and his extra large hat, to the
great amusement of the audience, who eagerly watched
every stroke of my brush, and went into ecstasies as
they saw the likeness come out more and more plainly.
The Coreans, like the Japanese, are extremely quick
at understanding pictures and drawings, and I was
much gratified to notice the interest displayed by my
auditorium^ for never before had I seen a crowd so
pleased with work of mine. My last experiences in
the sketching line had been among the hairy savages of
the Hokkaido, among whom art was far from being
appreciated or even tolerated, and portrait-painting
was somewhat of a risky performance ; so that when I
found myself lionised, instead of being under a shower
of pelting stones and other missiles, it was only natural

72 COREA

that I felt encouraged, and really turned out a pretty fair
sketch so far as my capabilities went, '* Beautiful ! "
said one; " Very good !" exclaimed another; "Just
life-like!" said they all in a chorus as I lifted up the
finished picture to show it to them, when — there was a
sudden change of scene. A woman with staring eyes,
and as pale as death, appeared on the doorstep of a
house close by, and holding her forehead with her
hands, as if a great calamity was to befall her, made a
step forward.

** Where is my child?" cried she in a voice of anger
and despair.

'' Here he is," answered one of the crowd. ''The
foreigner is painting a picture of him."

There was a piercing yell, and the pale woman
looked such daggers at me that I nearly dropped the
sketch, brushes and palette out of my hands. Oh, it
was such a look! Brrr! how I shivered. Then, with
another yell, tenfold more piercing than the first, she
made a dash into the crowd, and tried to snatch the child
away. I have heard people say that I am sensitive,
and I believe that I really was on that occasion, for I
involuntarily shuddered as I saw at a glance what
was coming. The crowd had got so interested in the
picture that they would not hear of letting the child
go ; so the mother, scorned and pushed back, was
unsuccessful in her daring attempt. Boldly, however,
making a fresh attack, she dashed into the midst of them
and managed to grasp the child by the head and one
arm ; which led to the most unfortunate part of the
business, for the angry mother pulled with all her might
in her efforts to drag her sweet one away, while the

WOMEN'S WORK 73

people on the other hand pulled him as hard as they
could by the other arm and the legs, so that the poor
screaming mite was nearly torn to pieces, and no re-
monstrances of mine had the least effect on this human
yet very inhuman tug-of-war.

Fortunately for the child, whose limbs had under-
gone a good stretching, the mother let go ; but it was
certainly not fortunate for the others, for, following the
little ways that women have, even in Corea, she pro-
ceeded to scratch the faces of all within her reach,
and I myself came within an inch of having my
eyes scratched out of my head by this infuriated
parent, when to my great relief she was dragged away.
As she re-entered the door of her domicile, she shook
her fist and thrust her tongue out at me, a worthy finish
to this tragic-comic scene.

I do not wish you to think, however, that all women
are like that in Corea ; for, indeed, they are not. In
fact, the majority of them may be said to be good-
mannered and even soft in nature, besides being pain-
fully laborious. You should see the poor things on the -
coldest days and nights of winter, smashing the thick
ice in the rivers and canals, and spending hour after
hour with their fingers in the freezing water, washing
the clothes of their lords and masters, who are probably
peacefully and soundly asleep at home. You should
see them with their short wooden mallets, like small
clubs, beating the dirt out of the wet cotton garments,
soap being as yet an unknown luxury in the Corean
household. The poorer women, who have no washing
accommodation at home, have to repair to the streams,
and, as the clothes have to be worn in the day, the

74 COREA

work must be done at night. Sometimes, too, three
or more join together and form washing parties,
this, to a certain extent, relieving the monotony of
the kneeling down on the cold stone, pounding the
clothes until quite clean, and constantly having to
break the ice that is continually reforming round their
very wrists. The women who are somewhat better off
do this at home, and if you were to take a walk through
the streets of Seoul by night you soon get familiar with
the quick tick, tick, tick, the time as regularly marked
as that of a clock, heard from many houses, especially
previous to some festivity or public procession, when
everybody likes to turn out in his best. If a woman
in our country were sent out to do the washing under
similarly trying circumstances — and, mind, a suit of
clothes takes no less than a couple of hours to wash
properly — I have no doubt that she might be tempted to
ask for a divorce from her husband for cruelty and ill-
treatment ; but the woman of Cho-sen thinks nothing
of it, and as long as it pleases the man whom she must
obey she does it willingly and without a word of com-
plaint. In fact, I am almost of opinion that the Corean
woman likes to be made a martyr, for, not unlike women
of other more civilised countries, unless she suffers,
she does not consider herself to be quite happy !

It sounds funny and incongruous, but it really is so.
While studying the women of Corea, a former idea got
deeply rooted in my head, that there is nothing which
will make a woman happier than the opportunity of
showing with what resignation she is able to bear the
weight and drudgery of her duty. If to that she can
add complaint of ill-treatment, then her happiness is un-

FEMININE MUSICIANS

n

age

things
make a

bounded. The woman of Cho-sen gets, to my mind,
less enjoyment out of life than probably any other
woman in Asia. This life includes misery, silence, and
even separation from her children — the male ones—
after a certain

What

could

woman
more unhappy ?
Still, she seems
to bear up well
under it all, and
even to enjoy all
this sadness. I
suppose one al-
ways enjoys
what one is ac-
customed to do,
otherwise I do
not see how the
phenomenon is
to be explained.
A few words
must be added
about that spe-
cial class of
women, the singers, who, as in Japan, are quite a
distinct guild from the other women. A similar descrip-
tion to that of the geishas of Japan might apply to these
gay and talented young ladies, who are much sought
after by high officials and magistrates to enliven their
dinner-parties with chanting and music. They are

A SINGER

76 COREA

generally drawn from the very poorest classes, and good
looks and a certain amount of wit and musical talent is
what must be acquired to be a successful singer. They
improvise or sing old national songs, which never fail
to please the self-satisfied and well-fed official, and if
well paid, they will even condescend to pour wine into
their employer's cups and pass sweets to the guests. If
beautiful and accomplished, the '* Corean artistes"
make a very good living out of their profession, large
sums of money being paid for their services. But if at
all favoured by Nature, they generally end by becoming
the unofficial wives of some rich minister or official.
These women chalk their faces and paint their lips ;
they wear dresses made of the most expensive silks,
and, like people generally who have sprung from no-
thing and find themselves lodged among higher folks
than themselves, they give themselves airs, and cultivate
a sickening conceit. Among the Coreans, however,
they command and receive much admiration, and many
an intrigue and scandal has been carried out, sometimes
at the cost of many heads, through the mercenary turn
of mind of these feminine musicians.

This music is to the average European ear more
than diabolical, this being to a large extent due to the
differences in the tones, semi-tones, and intervals of
the scale, but personally, having got accustomed to
their tunes, I rather like its weirdness and originality.
When once it is understood it can be appreciated ; but
I must admit that the first time one hears a Corean
concert, an inclination arises to murder the musicians
and destroy their instruments. Of the latter they
have many kinds, including string and brass, and

MUSIC 77

drums, and cymbals, and other sorts of percussion
instruments. The flutes probably are the weirdest of
all their wind category, but the tone is pleasant and
the airs played on them fascinating, although somewhat
monotonous in the end, repetitions being continually
effected. Then there is the harp with five strings, if I
remember right, and the more complicated sort of lute
with twenty-five strings, the kossiul ; a large guitar,
and a smaller one ; the kanyako being also in frequent
use. Most of these instruments are played by women ;
the flutes, however, are also played by men.

CHAPTER VI

Corean children — The family — Clans — Spongers — Hospitality —
Spinning-tops — Toys — Kite-flying — Games — How babies are
sent to sleep.

One great feature of Cho-sen life are the children.
One might almost say that in Cho-sen you very
seldom see a boy, for boyhood is done away with, and
from childhood you spring at once to the sedate
existence of a married man. Astonishing as this may
sound, it is nevertheless true. The free life of a child
comes to an end generally when he is about eight or
nine years of age. At ten he is a married man, but
only, as we shall see later, nominally. For the present,
however, we shall limit ourselves to a consideration of
his bachelor days.

It must be known that in Corea, just as here,
boys are much more cherished than girls, and the
elder of the boys is more cherished than his younger
brothers, should there be more than one in a family,
notwithstanding that the younger are better-looking,
cleverer and more studious. When the father dies,
the eldest son assumes the reins of the family, and his
brothers look to him as they had before done to their
father. He it is who inherits the family property and
nearly all the money, though it is an understood rule

THE FAMILY

79

that he is bound either to divide the inheritance share
and share alike with the rest of the family, or else keep
them as the father had done. Thus it is that Corean
families are, for the most part kept together ; one might
almost say that
the kingdom is
divided into so
many clans, each
family with the
various relations
making, so to
speak, one of
them. Family
ties are much re-
ofarded in the
Land of the
Morning Calm,
and great inter-
est is taken by
the distant rela-
tions in anything
concerning the
happiness and
welfare of the
family. What is
more, if any
member of the clan should find himself in pecuniary
troubles, all the relations are expected to help him
out of them, and what is even more marvellous still,
they willingly do it, without a word of protest. The
Corean is hospitable by nature, but with relations,
of course, things go much further. The house

COREAN MARRIED MAN, AGE 12

8o COREA

belonging to one practically belongs to the other,
and therefore it is not an uncommon occurrence for a
" dear relation " to come to pay a visit of a few years*
duration to some other relation who happens to be
better off, without this latter, however vexed he may
be at the expense and trouble caused by the prolonged
stay of his visitor, even daring to politely expel him
from his house ; were he to do so, he would commit a
breach of the strict rules of hospitality enjoined by
Corean etiquette. Even perfect strangers occasionally
go to settle in houses of rich people, where for months
they are accommodated and fed until it should please
them to remove their quarters to the house of some
other rich man where better food and better accom-
modation might be expected. There is nothing that a
Corean fears so much as that people should speak ill of
him, and especially this is the bugbear under which the
nobleman of Cho-sen is constantly labouring, and upon
which these black-mailers and ''spongers" work.
High officials, whose heads rest on their shoulders,
''hung by a hair," like Damocles' sword, suffer very
much at the hands of these marauders. Were they to
refuse their hospitality it would bring upon them
slander, scandal and libel from envenomed tongues,
which things, in consequence of the scandalous in-
triguing which goes on at the Corean court, might
eventually lead to their heads rolling on the ground,
separated from the body — certainly not a pleasant sight.
In justice to them, nevertheless, it must be acknow-
ledged that these human leeches are occasionally
possessed with a conscience, and after kindness has
been shown them for many months they will generally

THE FAMILY 8i

depart in search of a new victim. Whence it would
appear that the people of Cho-sen carry their hospitality
to an extreme degree, and in fact it is so even with
foreigners, for when visiting the houses of the poorest
people I have always been offered food or drink, which
you are invariably asked to share with them.

But let us return to the Corean family. The mother,
practically from the beginning, is a nobody in the
household, and is looked upon as a piece of furniture
or a beast of burden by the husband, according to his
grade, and as an ornament to the household, but
nothing more by her own sons. Her daughters, if she
has any, regard her more as a friend or a companion,
sharing the lonely hours and helping her with her
work. The women never take part in any of the
grand dinners and festivities in which their husbands
revel, nor are they allowed to drink wine or intoxi-
cants. They may, however, smoke.

When the children get to a certain age, the males
are parted from the females, and the first are con-
stantly in the company of their father, while the latter,
as we have seen, share the dull fate of the mother.
The first thing a male child is taught is love, deep
respect, and obedience to his governor, and in this
he is, as a general rule, a paragon. If the father be
ill, he will lie by his side day and night, nursing him,
and giving him courage ; and if any misfortune befalls
him, the duty of a good son is to share it with his
genitor.

I cannot quite make up my mind on the point,
whether the Corean child has a good time of it or not,
and whether he is properly cared for, as there is much

82 COREA

to be said on both sides of the question. Taken as a
whole, the children of the noblemen and rich people,
though strictly and even severely brought up, cannot, I
think, be said to be ill-used ; but the brats of the poorer
people are often beaten in a merciless manner. I
remember seeing a father furiously spanking a son of
about five years old, who was pitifully crying so as to
break one's heart, and as if that were not punishment
enough, he shook him violently by his little pigtail, and
pounded him on the head with his knuckles, a perform.-
ance that would have killed, or, at all events, rendered
insensible nine children out often of other nationalities ;
but no, to my utter astonishment, the moment the
father, tired of beating, retired into the house, the little
mite, wiping his streaming tears with the backs of his
hands and pulling himself together, quietly sat down
on the ground, and began playing with the sand, as if
nothing had happened !

''Well ! " I remember saying, as I stood perplexed,
looking at the little hero, ''if that does not beat all I
have seen before, I do not know what can ! "

Yes, for hard heads and for insensibility to pain, I
cannot recommend to you better persons than the
Coreans. There are times when the Cho-sen children
actually seem to enjoy themselves, as, for instance,
during the month of January, when it is the fashion to
have out their whipping- and spinning-tops. With his
huge padded trousers and short coat, just like a miniature
man, except that the colour of his coat is red or green,
and with one or two tresses hanging down his back,
tied with long silk ribbons, every child you come across
is at this season furnished with a big top and a whip,

TOYS 83

with which he amuses himself and his friends, slashing
away from morn till night, until, tired out by the exer-
tion, he goes to rest his weary little bones by his
father s side, still hanging on to the toys that have made
his day so happy. The Corean child is quiet by nature.
He is really a little man from the moment he is born,
so far as his demeanour is concerned. He is seldom
rowdy, even when in the company of other children,
and, if anything, rather shy and reserved. He amuses
himself with his toys in a quiet way, and his chief
pleasure is to do what his father does. In this he is
constantly encouraged, and those who can afford it,
provide their boys with toys, representing on a smaller
scale the objects, &c., used in the everyday life of the
man. He has a miniature bow-and-arrow, a wooden
sword, and a somewhat realistic straw puppet, which
he delights in beheading whenever he is tired of play-
ing with it and shooting his arrows into it. He possesses
a fishing-rod, and on windy days relishes a good run
with the large paper pinwheels, a world-wide familiar
toy in infantile circles. Naturally, too, musical instru-
ments, as well as the national means of conveyance,
such as palanquins and wheel-chairs, have not escaped
the notice of the Corean toy-manufacturer, who, it must
be said, imitates the different objects to perfection in
every detail, while, of course, considerably reducing
them in size. Other various articles of common use in
the household are also often reproduced in a similar way.
The games that the children seem to enjoy most,
however, seem to be the out-of-door ones. Kite-
flying is probably the most important. Indeed, it is
almost reduced to an art in Corea, and not only do small

84 COREA

children go in for it extensively, but even the men take
an active part in this infantile amusement. The Corean
kite differs from its Japanese or Chinese relative in that
it is very small, being only about twenty inches long
by fourteen wide. Besides, instead of being flat on
the frame, the Cho-senese kite is arched, which feature
is said by the natives to give it a much greater flying
capacity.

The string is wound round a framework of wood
attached to a stick, which latter revolves in the
hands or is stopped at the will of the person who
flies the kite. It is generally during the north winds
that the kites are flown, and it is indeed a curious
thing during those days to watch regular competitions,
fights, and battles being fought among these paper
air-farers. As soon as the kite is raised from the
ground and started in the orthodox way, the tactics
used by the Corean boy in his favourite amusement
become most interesting. He lets it go until it has
well caught the wind, and by sudden jerks given to it
in a funny way, knocking and clapping the thread-
wheel on his left knee, he manages to send the kite
up to a very great height. Hundreds and hundreds
of yards of string are often used. When high enough,
sailing gaily along among hundreds of other kites, it
is made to begin warlike tactics and attack its nearest
neighbour. Here it is that the Corean shows his
greatest skill in manoeuvring his flying machine, for
by pulls, jerks, and twists of the string he manages
to make his kite rise or descend, attack its enemy or
retreat according to his wish. Then as you break
your neck watching them, you see the two sMall squares

KITE-FLYING 85

of paper, hundreds of yards above you in mid-air,
getting closer to one another, advancing and retreat-
ing, as would two men fighting a duel ; when, sud-
denly, one takes the offensive, charges the other, and
by a clever coup de main makes a rent in it, thus
dooming it to a precipitous fall to the earth. Thus
victorious, it proudly proceeds to attack its next neigh-
bour, which is immediately made to respond to the
challenge ; but this time kite number three, whose
leader has profited by the end of kite number two,
keeps lower down than his adversary, gets round him
in a clever way, and when the strings meet, by a hard
pull cuts that of kite number one, which, swinging
slowly in the air, and now and then revolving round
itself in the air, gently descends far away from its owner,
and is quickly appropriated by some poor kiteless
child, who perhaps has been in company with many
fellows, watching and pining for hours for such a happy
moment. Pieces of broken glass are often tied to the
string at intervals, being of great help in cutting the
adversary's cord.

The people of Cho-sen seem to take as much in-
terest in kite-flying as the Britisher does in racing.
The well-grown people bet freely on the combatants,
and it is not an uncommon thing for the excitement to
reach such a pitch that the battle begun in mid-air
terminates with sound blows in less aerial regions.

It is quaint to see rows of children with their little
red jackets, standing on the high walls of the city,
spending hours in this favourite amusement. They
have barely room to stand upon, as the wall is hardly
more than a couple of feet wide, and it was always a

86 COREA

surprise to me that, amid the constant jerking and
pulling the young folks were never precipitated from
their point of vantage to the foot, which in many
places would be as much as thirty feet in height. I
have watched them for hours in the expectation of
seeing one of them have an accident, but unfortunately
for me they never did !

The little girls under ten years of age are exceedingly
pretty. With the hair carefully parted in the middle
and tied into two tresses at the back, a little green
jacket and a long red skirt, they do indeed look quaint.
You should see how well-behaved and sedate, too,
they are. It is impossible to make one smile. You
may give her sweets, a toy, or anything you please,
but all you will hear is the faintest " Kamapso," and
away she runs to show the gift to her mother. She
will seldom go into fits of merriment in your presence,
but, of course, her delight cannot fail to be at times
depicted in her beaming eyes. She is more unfor-
tunate than her brother in the number of toys she
receives, and though her treatment is not so very
severe, she begins from her earliest years a life of
drudgery and work. As soon as her little brain begins
to command her tiny fingers, she is compelled to
struggle with a needle and thread. When her fragile
arms get stronger she helps her mother in beating the
clothes, and from the moment she rises to the time
she goes to rest, ideas as to her future servility,
humility, and faithfulness to man are duly impressed
upon her.

As in Japan, so in Corea, a custom prevails of
adopting male children by parents who have none of

STUDIES 87

their own. The children adopted are generally those
of poorer friends or of relations who chance to have
some to spare. When the adoption is accomplished,
with all the rules required by the law of the country,
and with the approval of the king, the adopted son
takes the place of a real son, and has a complete
right of succession to his adoptive father in precedence
to the adoptive mother and all the other relations of
the defunct.

The Corean boy begins to study when very young.
If the son of a rich man, he has a private tutor ; if not,
he goes to school, where he is taught the letters
of the Corean alphabet, and Chinese characters.
All official correspondence in Corea is done with
Chinese characters, and a lifetime, as everybody
knows, is hardly enough to master these. The
native Corean alphabet, however, is a most practical
and easy way of representing sounds, and I am not
sure but that in many ways it is even more practical
than ours. I will give the reader the opportunity of
judging of this for himself by-and-by {see chapter
xiii.). Arithmetic is also pounded into the little
heads of the Cho-sen mites by means of the sliding-
bead addition-board, the "chon-pan," a wonderful con-
trivance, also much used in Japan and China, and
which is of invaluable help in quick calculation. The
children are made to work very hard, and I was always
told by the natives that they are generally very
diligent and studious. A father was telling me one
day that his son was most assiduous, but that he
(the father) every now and then administered to him a
good flogging.

88 COREA

" But that is unfair," said I. " Why do you do it ? "

" Because I wish my son to be a great man. I am
pleased with his work, but I flog him to encourage (?)
him to study better still ! "

I felt jolly glad that I was never " encouraged "
in this kind of way when I was at school.

'* I have no doubt that if you flog him enough he
will one day be so clever that no one on this earth
will be able to appreciate him."

"You are right," said the old man, perceiving at
once the sarcasm of my remark, *' you are right. I
shall never beat my son again."

The children of labourers generally attend night-
schools, where they receive a sound education for very
little money and sometimes even gratis.

I am sure you will be interested to learn after
what fashion children are named in the Land of
the Morning Calm, as baptism with holy water is not
yet customary. To tell you the truth, however, I
am not quite certain how things are managed, and I
rather doubt whether even the Coreans themselves
know it. The only rule I was able to establish is that
there was no rule at all, with the exception that all
the males took the family name, to which followed (not
preceded, as with us) one other name, and then the
title or rank. Nicknames are extremely common, and
there is hardly any one who not only has one, but
actually goes by it instead of by his real name.
Foreigners also are always called after some dis-
tinofuishinor mark either in the features or in the
clothing. I went by the name of ''disguised Corean,"
for I was always mistaken for one, notwithstanding

HOW BABIES ARE SENT TO SLEEP 89

that I dressed in European clothes. I will not say-
that I was very proud of my new name.

The Corean noblemen, during their many hours of
dolce far niente^ often indulge in games of chess, back-
gammon and checkers, and teach these games to
their sons as part of a gentleman's accomplishments.
Cards, besides being forbidden by order of the king,
are considered vulgar and a low amusement only fit
for the lowest people. The soldiers indulge much
in card-playing and gambling with dice-throwing and
other ways.

But to return to the children of Cho-sen : do you
know what is the system employed by the yellow-
skinned women to send their babies to sleep ?

They scrape them gently on the stomach !

The rowdiest baby is sent to sleep in no time by
this simple process. I can speak from experience, for
I once tried it on a baby — only a few months old — that
I wanted to paint. He was restless, and anything but
a good sitter. It was impossible to start work until
he was quiet, so I decided to experiment on the
juvenile model the '' scraping process " that I had
seen have its effect a day or two previously. At first
the baby became ten times more lively than before,
and looked at me as if it meant to say, '' What the
devil are you doing } " Then, as I went on scraping
his little stomach for the best part of ten minutes, he
became drowsy, was hardly able to keep his eyes
open, and finally, thank Heaven, fell asleep !

He was, indeed, he was ! so much so that I thought
he was never going to wake up again.

THE DRILLING GROUND, SEOUL

CHAPTER VII

Corean inns — Seoul — A tour of observation — Beggars — Lepers — Philo-
sophy— An old palace — A leopard hunt — Weather prophets — The
main street — Sedan chairs — The big bell — Crossing of the bridges —
Monuments — Animal worship — The Gate of the Dead — A funeral —
The Queen-dowager's telephone.

During the time that I was in Seoul — and I was
there several months — most of my time was spent out
of doors, for I mixed as much as possible with the
natives, that I might see and study their manners and
customs. I was very fortunate in my quarters : for
I first stayed at the house of a Russian gentleman,
and after that in that of the German Consul, and to
these kind friends I felt, and shall always feel, greatly
indebted for the hospitality they showed me during
the first few weeks that I was in the capital ; but,
above all, do I owe it to the Vice-Minister of Home
Affairs in Corea, Mr. C. R. Greathouse, in whose house

COREAN INNS 91

I Stayed most of the time, that I saw Corea as I did
see it, for he went to much trouble to make me com-
fortable, and did his best to enable me to see every
phase of Corean life. For this, I need not say, I
cannot be too grateful.

The great difficulty travellers visiting the capital
of Corea experience — I am speaking of four years
ago — is to find a place to put up at, unless he has
invitations to go and stay with friends. There are no
hotels, and even no inns of any sort, with the exception
of the very lowest gargottes for soldiers and coolies, the
haunts of gamblers and robbers. If then you are with-
out shelter for the night, you must simply knock at the
door of the first respectable house you see, and on
demand you will heartily be provided with a night's
domicile and plentiful rice. This being so, there is little
inducement to go to some filthy inn entirely lacking in
comforts, and, above all, in personal safety.

The Corean inns — and there are but few even
of those — are patronised only by the scum of the
worst people of the lowest class, and whenever
there is a robbery, a fight, or a murder, you can be
certain that it has taken place in one of those dens of
vice. I have often spent hours in them myself to
study the different types, mostly criminal, of which
there are many specimens in these abodes. There it
is that plots are made up to assassinate ; it is within
those walls that sinners of all sorts find refuge, and
can keep well out of sight of the searching police.

The attractions of Seoul, as a city, are few. Beyond
the poverty of the buildings and the filth of the streets,
I do not know of much else of any great interest to the

92 COREA

casual globe-trotter, who, it must be said, very seldom
thinks it advisable to venture as far as that. No, there
is nothing beautiful to be seen in Seoul. If, however,
you are on the look-out for quaintness and originality,
no town will interest you more. Let us go for a
walk round the town, and if your nose happens to be
of a sensitive nature, do not forget to take a bottle of
the strongest salts with you. We might start on our
peregrinations from the West Gate, as we are already
familiar with this point. We are on the principal
thoroughfare of Seoul, which we can easily perceive
by the amount of traffic on it as compared with the
other narrower and deserted streets. The mud-houses
on each side, as we descend towards the old royal
palace, are miserable and dirty, the front rooms being
used as shops, where eatables, such as rice, dried fruit,
&c., are sold. A small projecting thatched roof has
been put up, sustained by posts, at nearly each of these,
to protect its goods from sun and snow. Before going
two hundred yards we come to a little stone bridge,
about five feet wide, and with no parapet, over a
sewer, in front of which is an open space like a small
square. But look ! Do you see that man squatting
down there on a mat ? Is he not picturesque with his
long white flowing robe, his large pointed straw hat
and his black face ? As he lies there with outstretched
hands, dried by the sun and snow, calling out for the
mercy of the passers-by, he might almost be mistaken
for an Arab. His face is as black as it could be, and
he is blind. He is one of the personalities of Seoul,
and rain or shine you always see him squatting on his
little mat at the same spot in the same attitude.

COREAN BEGGARS

93

It is only seldom that beggars are to be seen in
Cho-sen, for they are not allowed to prowl about
except on certain special occasions, and festivities,
when the streets are simply crammed with them. It
is then that the most ghastly diseases, misfortunes,
accidents, and deformities are made use of and dis-
played before you to extract from your pockets the
modest sum of
a cash. I can-
not say that I am
easily impressed
by such sights,
and far less horri-
fied, for in my life-
time it has been
my luck to see so
many that I have
got accustomed
to them ; but I
must confess to
being on one oc-
casion really ter-
rified at the sight
of a Corean beggar. I was sketching not very
far from this stone miniature bridge on which we are
supposed to be still standing, when I perceived the
most ghastly object coming towards me. It looked
like a human being, and it did not ; but it was. As
he drew nearer, I could not help shivering. He was a
walking skeleton, minus toes and fingers. He was
almost naked, except that he had a few rags round his
loins ; and the skin that hardly covered his bones was

THE BLIND BEGGAR : SEOUL

94 COREA

a mass of sores. His head was so deformed and his
eyes so sunken that a Peruvian mummy would have
been an Adonis if compared with him. Nose he
had none — et ca passe — for in Seoul it is a blessing not
to have one ; and where his mouth should have been
there was a huge gap, his lower jaw being altogether
missing. A few locks of long hair in patches on his
skull, blown by the wind, completed a worthy frame
for this most unprepossessing head.

Oh, what a hideous sight ! He hopped along a
step or tw^o at a time on his bony legs and toeless
feet, keeping his balance with a long crutch, which he
held under his arm, and he had a sort of wooden
•cup attached by a string to his neck, into which people
might throw their charities. " He is a leper," a Corean,
who stood by my side and had noticed the ever-
increasing expression of horror on my face, informed me.

The man, or rather the scarecrow, for he hardly had
any more the resemblance to a human being, hearing
the noise of the crowd that was round me, moved in
my direction. He staggered and dragged himself till
he got quite close, then bending his trembling head
forward, made the utmost efforts to see, just as a bat
does when taken out into the daylight. Poor fellow !
he was also very nearly blind. His efforts to speak
were painful beyond measure. A hoarse sound like the
neighing of a pony was all that came out of his throat,
and each time he did this, shrieks of laughter rose from
the crowd, while comical jokes and sarcastic remarks
were freely passed at the thinness of his legs, the con-
dition of his skin, and the loss of the lower half of his
face. Oh ! it was shocking and revolting, though it

PHILOSOPHY 9 5

must be said for them that the same people who chaffed
him were also the first ones to fill his little pot with cash.

Now, you must not think that I have told you this
story to make your hair stand on end, for that is not
my intention at all ; but simply to prove to you the
anomaly that a Corean is not really cruel when he is
cruel, or rather when he appears to us to be cruel.
This sounds, I believe, rather extraordinary to people
who cannot be many-sided when analysing a question,
but what I mean is this : It must not be forgotten that
different people have different customs and different
ways of thinking ; therefore, what we put down as
dreadful is often thought a great deal of in the Land
of the Morning Calm.

'' Why not laugh at illnesses, death, and deformity ? "
I once heard a Corean argue.

''It does not make people any better if you sympathise
with them ; on the contrary, by so doing you simply
add pain to their pain, and make them feel worse than
they really are. Besides, illnesses help to make up our
life, and it is our duty to go through them as merrily
as through those other things which you call pleasures.
We people of Cho-sen do not look upon illnesses,
accidents, or death as misfortunes, but as natural things
that cannot be helped and must be bravely endured ;
what better, then, can we do than laugh at them ? "

" So your argument is," I dared put in, "that if one
may laugh at one's own misfortunes, there is all the
more title to laugh at those of other people ? "

"That is so," retorted the man of Cho-sen, with an
air of self-conviction.

I at once agreed with him that I did not find much

96 COREA

real harm in laughing at other people's misfortunes,
except that if it did not do anybody any harm, it
neither did them any good ; but I acknowledge that
it took me some minutes before I could make up my
mind as to one's own misfortunes. In the end, however,
I had to agree with him even about this point. He
proved to me that Coreans are at bottom very good-
hearted and unselfish, and always ready to help rela-
tions and neighbours, always ready to be kind even at
their own discomfort. This good-nature, however, lacks
in form from our point of view, though the substance
is always the same, and probably more so than with us.
They are a much simpler people, and hypocrisy among
them has not yet reached our civilised stage. In
the case of our poor leper friend, we have seen that
the people who laughed at him were the first to help
him ; whereas, I have no doubt that among us who are
good Christians, and nothing else but charitable, the
majority would not have laughed ; indeed, I am not
quite sure but that, on the contrary, many would have
run to the nearest church to pray for the man, mean-
time leaving him *' cashless," if not to die of starvation.
Now let us continue our walk and leave the blind man
and leper behind. On our left-hand side there is a
huge gateway with a red wooden door — in rather a
dilapidated condition — though apparently leading to
something very grand. Since we are here we may
as well go in. Good gracious ! it is a tumble-down
place. In (jlden days it used to be the king's palace,
and if you follow me you can see how big the grounds
are. For some reason or other this place, with all
its accessories, buildings, &c., has been abandoned

AN OLD PALACE 97

by the Court simply because of rumours getting abroad
that ghosts haunted it. Evil spirits were reported to
have been seen prowling about the grounds, and in
the royal apartments, and it would never have done for
a king to have been near such company ; so the Court
went to great expense to build a fresh abode for the
royal personage, and the old palace was abandoned
and left to decay. The grounds that were laid out as
pretty gardens were, many years later, used for a
plantation of mulberries, a foreign speculation which
was to enrich the King and the country, but which
turned out instead a huge Jiasco. The mulberry trees
are still there, as you may see. Let us, however, pro-
ceed a little way up this hill and go and pay a visit to
the two eunuchs who are the sole inhabitants of this
huge place, and who will take us round it. These
eunuchs occupy a little room about ten feet square and
of the same height in the inner enclosure. They are
very polite, and joining their hands by way of salute to
you, invite you to go in — to drink tea and smoke a
pipe. Poor wretches ! One of them, a fat fellow of
an unwholesome kind, as if he were made of putty,
having learnt the European way of greeting people, in-
sisted on shaking hands with me, but, oh, how repulsive
it was! His cold, squashy sort of boneless hand, gave
you the impression that you had grasped a toad in your
hand. And his face! Did you ever see a weaker,
more depraved and inhuman head than that which was
screwed on his shoulders ? His cadaverous complexion
was marked with the results of small-pox, which were
certainly no improvement to his looks ; his eyes had
been set in his head anyhow, and each seemed to move

98 COREA

of Its own accord ; his mouth seemed simply to hang
like a rag, showing his teeth and his tongue.

His fellow was somewhat better, for he was of the
thin kind of that type, and though possessing the
effeminate, weak characteristics of his friend, one could
at least see that he was built on a skeleton, like the
generality of people ! But the features of these eunuchs
were as nothing to their voices. The latter were
squeaky like those of girls of five ; and more especially
when the fat man spoke. It almost seemed as If the
thread of a voice came from underground, so Impercep-
tible was the sound that he could produce after he had
spoken a few minutes. Having profited by the notions
of my Corean philosopher of a little while ago, I simply
went into screams of merriment at the misfortune of
these poor devils, but really it was difficult to help It.

Preceded by these eunuchs, let us now go over
the tumble-down ruins of the palace. On the top of
the small hill stands the main building of red painted
wood and turned up roof a la Chinoise, and inside
this, in the audience hall, can yet be seen the remains
of the wooden throne raised up in the centre, with
screens on the sides. There is nothing artistic about
it, no richness, and nothing beautiful, and with the
exception of the ceiling, that must have been pretty at
one time with native patterns and yellow, red and
green ornaments, there Is absolutely nothing else
worth noticing. Outside, the three parallel flights of
steps leading up to the audience hall have a curious
feature. It Is forbidden to any one but the King to go
up on the middle steps, and he of course is invariably
carried ; for which reason, in the middle part of the

A LEOPARD HUNT 99

centre staircase a carved stone table is laid over the
steps in such a way that no one can tread on them
except quite at the sides where the men who carry
the King have to walk.

The houses where the King and royal family used to
live with their household have now been nearly all de-
stroyed by the weather and damp, and many of the roofs
have fallen in. They were very simple, only one story
high, and little better than the habitations of the better
classes of people in Cho-sen. Coming out again of the
inner enclosure, one finds stables and other houses
scattered here and there in the compound,^ and lower
down we come to a big drain of masonry. But let me
tell you a funny story.

As you know, the Land of the Morning Calm is
often troubled at night by prowling leopards and huge
tigers which make their peregrinations through the
town in search of food. A big leopard was thus seen
by the natives one fine day taking a constitutional in
the grounds of this haunted palace. Perplexed and
even terrified, the unarmed natives ran for their lives,
except one who, from a distant point of vantage,
watched the animal and saw him enter the drain
just mentioned. There happened to be staying
in Seoul an Englishman, a Mr. S., who possessed a
rifle and who had often astonished the natives by
his skill in never missing the bull's eye ; so to him
they all went in a deputation, begging him to do away
with the four-legged, unwelcome visitor. Mr. S., who
wished for nothing better, promised that he would go

* Word used in the East for a conglomeration of houses enclosed
l)y a wall.

loo COREA

that same night, and, accompanied by his faithful
native servant, went and hid himself in proximity to
the hole whence the leopard was likely to spring.
It was a lovely moonlight night, and several hours had
been passed in perfect silence and vain waiting for the
chance of a shot, when a bright idea struck the native
servant. Certain that the leopard was no longer there,
and wishing to retire to his warm room, he addressed
his master in poetic terms somewhat as follows : —

''Sir, I am a brave man, and fear neither man nor
beast. I am your servant, and for you am ready to
give my life. I have brought with me two long
bamboos, and with them I shall go and poke in the
drain, rouse the ferocious beast, and as he jumps out
you will kill him. If I shall lose my life, which I
am ready to do for you, please think of my wife and
child."

" Very good," said the Englishman, who was getting
rather tired of the discomfort and cold, and who,
though he did not say so, also shared the opinion that
the brute had gone.

Thus encouraged, the servant at once proceeded
to tie the two bamboos together, and again remind-
ing his master of the brave act he was going to
accomplish, proceeded with firm step to the drain,
about thirty yards off. When he reached the open-
ing he seemed to hesitate. He stood and listened.
He carefully peeped in and listened again. He heard
nothing. Then, bringing all his courage to bear,
he lifted his bamboo and began poking in the drain.
Two or three times, as he thought, he had touched some-
thing soft with the end. He dropped his bamboo as if

A LEOPARD HUNT loi

it had been a hot iron, and ran full-speed back to his
master, imploring his protection.

''Has got — has got — kill — master — kill — kill ! " and
he lay by his side, shivering with fright.

*' You are frightened, you coward ; there is nothing.
Go again."

After a few minutes the faithful valet, who had then
made quite sure that there was no leopard in the drain
and that he had shown himself a coward, unwillingly
and slowly returned to the charge and picked up his
bamboo.

*' I am trembling with cold, not with fear," he had
said as he was getting up again. '' I shall enter the
drain this time and rouse the animal myself! "

So he really did. He went in, holding the bamboo
in front of him, and pausing at each step. The farther
in he went, the more his self-confidence failed him.
The drain was high enough to allow of his standing in
it with his back and head bent down ; wherefore, if an
encounter with the spotted fiend were to take place,
the retreat of the man would not be an easy matter.

" Master must think me very brave," he was
soliloquising on his subterranean march, when he
received a sudden shock that nearly stopped his heart
and froze the blood in his veins. He had actually
touched something soft with the end of his bamboo,
and not only that, but he fancied he heard a growl.

He quickly turned round to escape, when a violent
push knocked him down, and he fell almost senseless
and bleeding all over.

'' Bang!" went the rifle outside just as the screams
of: " Master, aahi, aahi, kill, kill, kill," were echoing in

I02 COREA

the drain ; and the leopard with a broken hind leg
rolled over on the ground groaning fiercely, by-and~
by trying to retrace its steps to its domicile. The
poor Corean lay perplexed, looking at the scene, all
lighted up by the beautiful moonlight; and his heart
bounded with joy, when, after the second or third
report of the gun, he saw shot dead the animal that
had already reached the opening of the drain.

As his master appeared, rifle in hand, and touched
the dead beast, his valiant qualities returned to
him in full, and he got out of the drain. He was
badly scratched all over, I dare say, by the paws of
the beast, for it had sprung violently out the moment
the bamboo tickled it, though otherwise he was not
much the worse for his narrow escape.

Such is the last story connected with that drain.
The grounds, as you see, extend towards the west as
far as the city wall. As we go out of the gate which
we entered, you can see a sort of a portico on the left-
hand side as you approach it. Well, under that, as the
spring is approaching, there are often to be heard the
most diabolical noises for several days in succession.
If the season has been a very dry one, you will see
several men and numberless children beating on three
or four huge drums and calling out at the top of their
voices for rain. From sunrise until sunset this goes
on, unless some stranded cloud happens to appear on
the horizon, when the credit of such a phenomenon is
awarded to their diabolical howls, and cash subtracted
from landed proprietors as a reward for their having
called the attention of the weather-clerk. A spectacled
wise-man, a kind of astrologer, on a donkey and fol-

WEATHER PROPHETS 103

lowed and preceded by believers in his extraordinary
powers of converting fine weather into wet, and vice
versd, rides through the main streets of the capital, with
lanterns and festoons, on the same principle as does our
Salvation Army, namely, to collect a crowd to the
spot where his mysterious rites are to be performed.
Here, supported by his servants, he dismounts from his
high saddle, and, still supported under his arms — the
idea being that so great a personage cannot walk
by himself — he at last reaches the spot, apparently with
great fatigue. ''To carry all his, knowledge," argue
the admiring natives, ''must indeed entail great
fatigue."

When rain is to be summoned, our astrologer
addresses his first reproaches to the sun, stretching out
his hands and using the strongest of invectives, after
which, when he has worked himself into a towering
rage against the orb of day, an execrable beating
on the drums begins, accompanied by the howling of
all the people present. The god of rain gets his share
of insults, and is severely reprimanded for the casual
way in which he carries on his business, and so, partly
with good, partly with bad manners, this satanic per-
formance goes on day after day, until, eventually, it
does begin to rain.

The portico in this old haunted palace was a
favourite spot for these rites, and as the house of
the Vice- Minister of Home Affairs, where I stayed as
a guest, was close by, I suffered a good deal at the
hands of these fanatics, for the noise they made was
of so wild a nature as to drive one crazy — if not,
also, quite sufficient to bring the whole world down.

104 COREA

We may now continue our peregrination along the
main street. There along the wall squat dozens
of coolies, with their carrying arrangement, sitting on
their heels, and basking in the sun. Further on, one
of them is just loading a huge earthenware vase full of
the native beverage. The weight must be something
enormous. Yet see how quickly and cleverly he
manages to get up with it, and walk away from his
kneeling position by first raising one leg, then the
other, and after that a push up and it is done.

Here, again, coming along, is another curiosity. It
is a blue palanquin, carried on the back of two men.
They walk along quickly, with bare feet, and trousers
turned up over the knees. Instead of wearing a trans-
parent headgear, like the rest of the people, these
chair-bearers have round felt hats. In front walks a
Maggiordomo, and following the palanquin are a few
retainers. Heading the procession are two men, who,
with rude manners, push away the people, and shout
out at the top of their voices :

" Era, Era, Era ; Picassa, Picassa ! " ('' Out of the
way ; get out, get away ! ") were the polite words with
which these roughs elbowed their way among the
crowd, and flung people on one side or the other, in
order to clear the road for their lord and master. From
the hubbub they made, one might have imagined that
it was the King himself coming, instead of a mere
magistrate.

A few hundred yards further on, one finds on one's
left a magnificent street departing at right angles to
the main thoroughfare. Jt is certainly the widest
street in the Corean capital. So wide is it, in fact^

THE ROYAL STREET 105

that two rows of thatched houses are built in the
middle of the road itself, so to speak, forming out of
one street three parallel streets. These houses are,
however, pulled down and removed altogether once
or twice a year, when His Majesty the King takes it
into his head to come out of his palace and go in his
state chair, preceded by a grand procession, to visit
the tombs of his ancestors, some miles out of the town,
or to meet the envoys of the Chinese Emperor, a
short way out of the west gate of the capital, at a
place where a peculiar triumphal arch, half built of
masonry and half of lacquered wood, has been erected,
close to an artificial cut in the rocky hill, named the
" Pekin Pass " in honour of the said Chinese mes-
sengers.

I witnessed two or three of these king's processions,
and I shall describe them to you presently. In the
meantime, however, let us walk up the royal street.

The two rows of shanties having been pulled down,
its tremendous width is very conspicuous, being
apparently about ten times that of our Piccadilly. The
houses on both sides are the mansions in which the
nobles, princes, and generals live, and are built of solid
masonry. They are each one story high, with curled-
up roofs, and here and there the military ensign may
be seen flying. Facing us at the end, a pagoda-like
structure, with two roofs, and one half of masonry,
the upper part of lacquered wood, is the main en-
trance to the royal palace. Two sea-lions, roughly
carved out of stone, stand on pedestals a short
distance in front of the huge closed gate, and there,
squatting down, gambling or asleep, are hundreds

io6 COREA

of chair-carriers and soldiers, while by the roadside are
palanquins of all colours, and open chairs, with tiger
and leopard skins thrown over them, waiting outside
the royal precincts, since they are not allowed inside,
for their masters, who spend hours and days in ex-
pectation of being invited to an audience by, or a
confabulation with, His Majesty. People of different
ranks have differently coloured chairs — the highest
of the palanquin form being that covered with
green cloth and carried by four men. Foreign consuls
and legal advisers of the King are allowed the honour
of riding in one of these. The privilege of being
carried by four men instead of by two is only accorded
to officials of high rank. The covered palanquins are
so made that the people squat in them cross-legged.
A brass receptacle, used for different purposes, is inside,
in one corner of the conveyance. Some of them are
a little more ornamented than others, and lined with
silk or precious skins, but generally they are not so
luxurious as the ones in common use in China.

But if you want to see a really strange sight, here at
last you have it. It is a high official going to Court in
his state mono-wheeled chair. You can see that he is a
''somebody" by the curious skull-cap he is wearing,
curled up over the top of his head and with wrings on
each side starting from the back of his head-gear.
His flowing silk gown and the curious rectangular
jewelled stiff belt, projecting far beyond his body,
denote that he is holding a high position at the
Corean Court. A coolie marches in front of him, carry-
ing on his back a box containing the court clothes
which he will have to don when the royal palace is

CHAIR CONVEYANCES 107

reached, all carefully packed in the case, covered with
white parchment. Numerous young followers also
walk behind his unsteady vehicle. There you see him
perched up in a kind of arm-chair at a height of about
five feet — sitting more or less gracefully on a lovely
tiger skin, that has been artistically thrown upon it,
leaving the head hanging down at the back. Under
the legless chair, as it were, there are two supports, at
the lower end of which and between these supports re-
volves a heavy, nearly round v/heel, with four spokes.
Occasionally the wheel is made of one block of wood
only, and is ornamented at the sides with numerous
round-headed iron nails. There may be also two side
long poles to rest on the shoulders of the two carriers
— one in front and one at the back — a few extra
strengtheners on each side, and then you have the
complete " attelager So you see, it may be a great
honour to be carried about in a similar chair, though
to the eyes of barbarians like ourselves it looks
neither comfortable nor safe. India-rubber tyres
and, still less, pneumatic ones, have not yet been
adopted by the Corean chair-maker, and it appeared
to me that a good deal of ''holding on" was re-
quired, especially when travelling over stony and rough
ground, to avoid being thrown right out of one's
high position. The grandees whom I saw carried in
them seemed to me, judging by the expression on
their faces, to be ever looking forward patiently and
hopefully to the time for getting out of these perilous
conveyances. Certainly when going round corners or
on uneven ground I often saw them at an angle that
would make the hair of anybody but a grave and sedate

io8 COREA

Corean official stand on end. The palace gate reached,
he is let down gently, the front part of the chair being
gradually lowered, and, with a sigh of relief, steps out
of it. Immediately he is supported on each side
by his followers, and thus the palace is entered,
the mono-wheeled chair being left outside standing
against the wall, and the tired carriers squatting down
to a quiet gamble with the chair-bearers of other
noblemen.

Here let us leave him for the present, since the huge
gates are closed again upon our very noses.

The royal palace is enclosed by a high wall, at the
corners of which there are turrets with sentries and
soldiers. In each of the sections of the wall also there
is a gate, the principal one of course being that which
we have already described.

We shall now retrace our steps down the royal
avenue, but before leaving it we must once again look
back upon the royal enclosure. It is not a very grand
sight, but it is pretty to see a high hill towering at the
back of the royal palace. Undoubtedly the position
where the palace is now situated is the best in Seoul,
both through being in the very centre of the town and
through the prettiness of its situation. The inside of
the royal enclosure we shall presently describe.

Continuing our way, then, towards the east gate, we
soon come to another big thoroughfare on our right-
hand side, at one corner of which is a picturesque
ancient pavilion, with a railing round it. This is one
of the sights of Seoul, " the big bell."

It is a huge bronze bell raised from the ground only
about a foot. It possesses a fine rich tone when it is

THE BIG BELL 109

hammered upon by the bell-ringer, but a good deal of
the sonorousness is lost and the sound made dreary
and monotonous by its being so low down. The man
rings it by striking heavy blows at it with a big
wooden mallet, and its first note in the early morning
makes the drowsy gate-keepers of the town begin
to make preparations for establishing communication
once more between the capital and the outer world ;
while at sunset, as its last melancholy notes are blown
away in dying waves by the wind, the heavy gates are
closed, and every man — though not every woman, as
we shall see — has to retire to his home until dawn the
next morning, if he wishes to escape a severe flogging,
or even the risk of losing his head. The laws and
rules in this respect have not been very severely en-
forced of late years ; yet one never sees even now
a Corean male walking about the streets after dark.
Though capital punishment might not be inflicted on
the offender, a very sound spanking would very pro-
bably be the result of a native being caught flagrante
delicto during a nocturnal peregrination. Wherefore,
the Corean male is, a raison, very careful not to be
seen out after dark. On one or two occasions,
nevertheless, the male community is allowed a prowl
by night, and seem to enjoy it to their heart's content.
The principal of these great events is the night for
''crossing the bridges," a festivity in which men and
children are allowed to take part, and in the course
of which they spend the whole night in prowling about
the streets, and crossing over the bridges and back
again. At such a time the streets are alive with
story-tellers, magicians and comedians, who delight the

no COREA

nocturnal sIght-seers with wonderful fairy-tales, jokes
and fantastic plays.

A moonlight night is always chosen for the
*' crossing of the bridges" outing, a rather sensible
precaution when one sees what the bridges are like.
There are the stone supports of course, and over these
huge flat broad stones on which one treads. The
width of the bridges is generally about six feet, but no
parapet or railing of any kind is provided for the
safety of the wayfarer. Through age and weather,
these stones have been considerably worn out, and
are here and there disconnected, besides being slippery
to an extreme degree ; so that even in broad daylight,
one has to keep all his wits about him, in this sort of
tight-rope performance, not to find himself landed in
the river down below, in which, however, there is no
water running. Altogether, the days in which the
men of Cho-sen enjoy liberty at night are five.

The last day of the year is probably the one when
the larger crowds can be seen hurrying along through
the streets, for a custom prevails among the Coreans
to visit during that night and the following one, all
one's relations and best friends, congratulations and
good wishes being freely exchanged and presents of
sweets brought and gracefully received. New Year's
night is also a night of independence, but the greater
number of the male community are so "well on"
with wine-drinking and excitement, that staying at
home is generally deemed advisable.

There are two free nights, besides, on the fourteenth
and fifteenth days of the first moon, and on one of the
days at ''half-year" in the sixth moon. That is all.

A PAGODA

III

At no great distance from the *'blg bell," down a
tortuous little lane, we come to what is undoubtedly a
very ancient work of art. This is a pagoda, made of
solid marble, and adorned with beautiful carvings all
the way up to the top. To me this pagoda seemed to
be of Chinese ori-
gin, but, though
much speculation
has been exercised
in Seoul as to how
so strange a monu-
ment came to be
placed in the Corean
capital, no reliable
data, or facts that
might be considered
of historical value,
have as yet been
forthcoming to ex-
plain satisfactorily
its presence there.
Beyond wondering
at its antiquity,
therefore, and ad-
miring the skilful
bas-relief upon it,
there is little more for us to do ; so, moving out of the
courtyard in which this pagoda is situated, we proceed
to inspect another monument, equally curious from an
archaeological point of view.

It cannot but seem strange that the Coreans should
be ignorant regarding the little pagoda above

THE MARBLE PAGODA

112 COREA

mentioned. I call it ''little," for I do not think it
stands more than fifteen or twenty feet from the base
to the top. Probably in Seoul itself there is not more
than one man out of fifty who knows of its existence,
and those who are acquainted with it, beyond telling
you emphatically that it is not a Corean work, can
give you no information about it. It is not im-
probable that, in the course of some friendly or
unfriendly intercourse between the Chinese and the
Coreans, this pagoda was brought or sent over from
China.

The other curiosity is a huge stone tortoise carrying
a tablet on its back.

As I have already mentioned, the Coreans in many
ways resemble, and have appropriated or carried with
them to their place of settlement some ideas which
are common to the Manchus, the Mongols, and the
Northern and Southern Chinese. Among these may
be instanced the great respect for, if not worship of,
fetishes and rudely made images of animals, both
imaginary and real, which are supposed to be
embodied there with all their good and evil qualities.
The Coreans have an especial veneration for the tiger,
the emblem of supernatural strength, courage and
dignity. Now when veneration comes into play, the
extraordinary, as a rule, soon takes the place of the
ordinary, especially in the Eastern mind, which is
rather addicted to letting itself be run away with by
its imagination. So the tiger, as though it were not
sufficiently gifted already with evil qualities of a more
mundane order, is often depicted by native geniuses, as
having also the power of flying, producing lightning.

WORSHIP OF ANIMALS 113

and spitting fire ; and not only that, but as able to
walk on fiames without feeling the slightest inconveni-
ence, and manipulate blazing fire as one would a fan in
everyday use. On flags, pictures, and embroideries
the tiger Is often represented by native artists.

Next to the tiger, the animal most cherished by the
Coreans is the tortoise. To it are applied all the
good qualities that the tiger wants ; for example,
thoughtfulness, a retiring nature, humility, gentleness,
steadiness, and patience ; these being all symbolised
by this shelled amphibious animal, which, in the minds
of many Eastern Asiatics, was the basis upon which,
in later times, were built the rudiments of mathematics
and wisdom. In Corea, the principal quality attributed
to the tortoise is long life ; wherefore, it has been
handed down from early times to the present day as
the emblem of longevity.

This, then, explains the signification of the tortoise
in front of which we are now standing. Those
tortoises that are made to carry tablets on their backs
are, as a general rule, erected in honour and remem-
brance of some benevolent prince or magnanimous
magistrate — the tablets being placed over these
favourite creatures to signify that it was by relying
upon all the good qualities attributed to the tortoise
that the person whose praises are celebrated on them,
attained to the virtues which are deemed so worthy an
example to the world.

There are many species of semi-sacred tortoises in
Corea, to all appearance the product of imaginary
intermarriages between the slow amphibious animal in
question and the fire-spitting dragon, silver-tailed

114 COREA

phoenix, and other animals ; and these mixed breeds of
idols, so to speak, are occasionally to be seen in the
houses of rich people and princes near the entrance
gate. In the Royal Palace, too, some may be seen,
among the more important being the old Seal of State,
which consists of a tortoise cleverly carved out of
marble with the Impression of the Royal Seal engraved
on the under side.

A curious thing which strikes visitors to Corea who
notice it is that, although the tortoise runs a close race
with the tiger in the respect of the natives, neverthe-
less, the larger and fiercer animal is much more
frequently represented than its smaller and gentler
competitor. For Instance, one invariably sees on the
roofs of the city gates, fixed on the corners, five small
representations of the tiger, all reclining in a row one
after the other. On many of the larger buildings also
the same thing can be observed ; while, on the other
hand, It is only rarely that the tortoise Is seen in such
a situation. When representations of the latter are
thus attached, they are generally placed at the four
lower corners of the buildings, as If by way of support.

It is curious, again, to note — and, indeed, It almost
seems as if the Cho-sen people are In all their Ideas
opposed to us — that in Corea the snake is greatly
revered ; and, should it enter a household, it receives a
hearty welcome, for this reptile is supposed to bring
with it everlasting happiness and peace, a very different
conception to that which we generally form of it, for, if
I mistake not, in our minds it is generally associated
with sneakishness, treachery and perfidy.

With regard to the snake, it is noteworthy that the

SERPENTS AND DRAGONS 115

Coreans have allowed their fancies to run riot in pretty-
much the same direction as imaginative people in our
own country have done, and have not only added wings
to their serpents to send them air-faring, but have also
invented a near relation to these in the shape of a
travelling sea-serpent, which is not, however, of such
large dimensions as those with which we are familiar.
From this it is only a short step to the well-known
half-human, half- fish being and the sea-lion or tiger ;
stone representations of which are to be seen at the
entrance of the Royal Palace. The principal pecu-
liarity of the sea-tiger is its ugliness. It is represented
as having a huge mouth, wide open, showing two rows
of pointed teeth, and a mane and tail curled up into
hundreds of conventional little curlets. If the statues
of these sea-tigers are divided in three sections
perpendicular to the base, the head will occupy the
whole of one of these sections, which, in other words>
means that the body is made only twice the size of the
head.

The lin is also frequently found figuring in Corean
mythology, but this fanciful creature is undoubtedly an
importation from the well-known ki-lin of China,
being half ox, half deer, and having but a single horn in
the centre of the head. It is the symbol of good
nature and well-being Another borrowed individual
of this class is the dragon, a monster which is a great
favourite and much cherished all over the East, though
principally by the Emperor of Heaven and his subjects.
This popularity of the dragon in the kingdom of the
Morning Calm is due, I suppose, in a large measure
to the frequent Chinese invasions and constant inter-

ii6 COREA

course of the Chinese with Corea. And yet, upon
a less appropriate country, to my belief, he could
hardly have been stranded, for, although he pos-
sesses all the good virtues of the other mythical
creatures of which I have made mention taken together,
he certainly is never presented as gifted with that de-
lightful faculty which goes by the name of tranquillity.
Restless in the extreme, this genius of the East is
said to penetrate through mountains into the ground,
skip on the clouds, produce thunder and lightning, and
go through fire and water. It can, moreover, make
itself visible or invisible at pleasure, and, in fact, can to
all intents and purposes do what it pleases, except
— remain quiet.

Of dragons there are many kinds, but the most
respectable of them all is, as in China, the yellow one,
which is as represented on the Chinese flags. Next
to the yellow one in popularity comes the green one.
In shape, as the natives picture it, the dragon is not
unlike a huge lizard, with long-nailed claws, and a flat
long head like the elongated head of a neighing horse,
possessed, however, of horns, and a long mane of fire,
or lightning. The tail is like that of a serpent, with five
additional pointed ends. It is, too, rather interesting
to note that the king, princes, and highest magistrates,
when the country is not in mourning, wear upon their
breasts pieces of square embroidery ornamented in the
centre with representations of the dragon, having the
jewel on its head which is supposed to be a certain cure
for all evils. The officials of lesser degree wear, in-
stead of this emblem, the effigy of a flying phoenix,
the symbol of pride, friendship, and kind ruling power.

THE EAST GATE 1 17

The phoenix Is also occasionally to be seen standing
on a tortoise's back, the combination being emblematic
of the combined virtues of these two mythical
creatures.

Returning to the main street, we can walk a long
way without finding anything Interesting In the way
of architecture, or of a monumental character until we
reach the East Gate, which is probably the largest gate
of all. One of the peculiarities of this gate Is that on
the outside It has a semicircular wall protection, and
in this wall a second gate which renders it, therefore,
doubly strong In time of war. The outer wall Is very
thick, and a wide space Is provided which can be
manned with soldiers, when the town happens to be
besieged. If my memory serves me rightly, yet
another gate In Seoul Is provided with a similar
contraffort, but of this I am not quite certain, for the
part of my diary in which the wall of Seoul Is
described has been, I regret to say, unfortunately
mislaid. Near the gate above mentioned, is a large
open space, on the centre of which stands a somewhat
dilapidated pavilion pour fa^on de parler, and, on
Inquiry, I was told that this place was the drilling-
ground of the king's troops, the pavilion being for the
use of the king and high officials, when on very grand
occasions they went to review the soldiery. Of late
years, I believe, a new drilling-ground has been
selected by the foreign military Instructors, which
explains why the pavilion has been allowed to rot and
tumble down. (See Illustration p. 90.)

As already remarked, all the gates of Seoul, as well
as those of every other city in Corea, are closed at

ii8 COREA

sunset ; but, like all rules, this one, too, has its
exception. Thus, there is a small gate, called the
'* Gate of the Dead," which is opened till a late hour at
night. Its name explains its object fairly well, but for
the benefit of those who are unaccustomed to Corean
customs I may as well put the matter a little clearer.
Funerals, in Corea, nearly always take place at night,
and the bodies are invariably carried out of the town
to be buried. In lifetime it is permitted to enter or
leave the town through any gate you please, but this
freedom of choice is not accorded to the dead, when
their final exit Is to be made, for this is only by way
of the smaller gate just mentioned.

A funeral is in all countries, to me, a curious sight,
but in Seoul, a performance of this description
is probably more curious than elsewhere, and that,
because, to a European eye, it appears to be anything
but a funeral. The procession is headed by two
individuals, each of whom carries an enormous yellow
umbrella, on the stick of which, about half way up,
there is a very large tri-coloured ball. After these,
under a sort of baldachin held up by four long poles,
is the cofiin, carried by two, four, or more men, accord-
ing to the social position of the deceased ; and by the
side of this and following close after it are numberless
people each carrying a paper lantern stuck on a pole,
who scuttle along, singing, after a fashion, and mutter-
ing prayers and praises on behalf of their deceased
countryman. Frequently, if the latter is supposed to
have been possessed by evil spirits, and to have been
carried off by them, a man is hired, if no relation is
willing to do it, to ring a hand-bell for several con-

A COREAN FUNERAL 119

secutive days, near the house which the late unfor-
tunate had occupied, the shrill sound being supposed to
have the power of showing the unwelcome guests,
that their presence has been noticed, and that they
had better retire and leave the house to its rightful
owners. I need hardly remark that a few hours of
this noise is quite enough to turn the best of good
spirits into an evil one.

But to return to our funeral procession ; this, when
the '' Gate of the Dead " is reached, becomes broken
up ; the friends who were following the hearse
putting out their lights and ceasing from their singing
and praying. Only two or three of the nearest
relations continue to follow the coffin, still carried by
the paid bearers, and when a suitable spot is reached
these proceed to bury the remains. A hilly ground is
usually preferred by the Coreans for the last resting
place of the bones of their dear ones. The coffin
having been buried, a small mound of earth is heaped
up over it.

The spot for inhumation is generally chosen on the
advice of magicians who are supposed to know the
sites which are likely to be most favourable to the
deceased. Sometimes the body is exhumed at great
expense, still on the advice of the same magicians,
who, being in direct communication with both earthly
and unearthly spirits, get to know that the spot which
had been originally selected was not a favourable one.
Under such circumstances, a speedy removal is neces-
sary, which, of course entails both worry and money-
spending and special fees for the reporting of the ill-
faring of the buried.

I20 COREA

The relations and friends of a deceased person
constantly visit the tomb, and many a good son has
been known to spend months watching his father's
grave, lest his services might be required by the parent
underground.

The hills round the towns are simply covered with
these little mounds of earth, and the greatest respect Is
shown by the natives for all places of sepulture. In
course of time, many disappear by being washed away
by the rain, but never by any chance are they Inter-
fered with by the people. The Coreans are extremely
superstitious, and they are much afraid of the dead.
Metempsychosis is not an uncommon trait of their
minds, especially among the better classes ; thus, for
instance, the soul of the dead man is sometimes
supposed to enter the body of a bird, In which case the
relatives carefully build a semi-circular stone railing
round the mound, so that the winged successor of the
deceased may have whereon to perch.

The grave of one of the richer people is especially
noteworthy. First, there is the mound in the centre
as usual, but nearly twice the size of that which covers
a poorer person. Then there is a stone railing a little
way off ; and between that and the mound stand in
double rows, at the sides, rough images of human
beings and horses carved in stone. The general rule
is, in the case of a rich man, to have two men and two
ponies on either side and a small column at the end ;
while in the case of a man not so much distinguished
only a single horse and man respectively are placed on
either side. The short column with a slab at the top
is nearly always a feature. The stone images so

COREAN GRAVES 121

placed are, as a rule, so badly carved that, unless one is
told what they are meant to represent, it is really
difficult to decide the point. The horses, especially,
might easily be mistaken for sheep, dogs, or any other
animal, the small stature of the native ponies being
imitated in these images, to an exaggerated degree.
As for the stone human-shaped images, these are
usually made dressed in a long sort of gov/n and with
the arms folded in front and the head covered by a
curled up skull-cap, of the kind worn by Corean officials
even at the present day, and formerly worn by all the
high officials in China, whence probably the fashion has
been imported.

A curious feature which I often noticed about the
graves of people who had not been over well-off, and
whose friends could not afford a large number of
statues or figures of men and animals, was this : — If
only one or two monuments were put up by the side of
the mound, these invariably consisted of representa-
tions either of two horses or else of a horse and a ram,
that is, if I am right in fixing the latter's identity by
the curled horns on the side of its head. If, on the
other hand, the monuments were more than two in
number, the others were, just as invariably, representa-
tions of human figures, the number of these being the
same as that of beasts in the other case.

A ceremony is to be found in the Land of the
Morning Calm which corresponds pretty closely to
*' Ttitti imortV of Italy ; I mean, the merry picnicking
of distressed parents and relatives when they go and
pray on the tombs of their dead. In Corea the occa-
sion is usually celebrated on the first day of the first

122 COREA

moon, or, In other words, on New Year's Day. The
family g'oes soon after sunrise, en masse^ to the burial-
place, where prayers are offered, and long sticks of
incense burnt filling the air with the perfume so
familiar to all who know the East. Food and drink
are also generally brought and consumed by the
mourners on such expeditions, with the result that the
day which begins with praying generally ends with
playing. Similar rejoicings are again indulged in
during the third moon, when the tombs are usually
cleaned and repaired, and the stone figures and horses
washed and scrubbed, amidst the hilarious screams of
the children and the less active picnickers.

The tombs of the kings do not differ very much
from those of the richest noblemen, except that they
have a kind of temple near them. At one time it was
believed that the coffins in which the royal bodies
were buried, consisted of solid gold. People who are
well informed, however, maintain that there is no
foundation for this statement about the royal graves,
and that, on the contrary, they are almost as simple as
those of the richer noblemen.

A strange tale was told me, which I shall repeat, as
I know it to be true. It is to this effect : A few
months previous to my visit to Seoul, a foreigner
had visited the king soliciting orders for installations
of telephones. The king, being much astounded, and
pleased at the wonderful invention, immediately, at
great expense, set about connecting by telephone the
tomb of the queen dowager with the royal palace — a
distance of several miles! Needless to say, though
many hours a day were spent by His Majesty and his

TELEPHONES FOR THE DEAD 123

suite in listening at their end of the telephone, and a
watchman kept all night in case the queen dowager
should wake up from her eternal sleep, not a
message, or a sound, or murmur even, was heard,
which result caused the telephone to be condemned as
a fraud by His Majesty the King of Cho-sen.

I should mention that a very good specimen of a
Corean tomb is to be seen a few lis outside the East
Gate, on the hillside, and that another, somewhat
smaller, exists a short distance beyond the Pekin Pass
outside the West Gate. It may also be noted that
trees are frequently planted, and tablets erected, in
proximity to Corean graves.

MOUNT NANZAM

CHAPTER VIII

Seoul — The City Wall — A large image — Mount Nanzam — The fire-
signals — The women's joss-house — Foreign buildings — Japanese
settlement — An anecdote— Clean or not clean ? — The Pekin Pass
— The water-carrier — The man of the Gates.

The ground in and around Seoul is very hilly.
The wail that surrounds the capital uncoils itself, like
a gigantic snake, up and down the slopes of high bluffs,
and seems a very marvellous work of patient masonry
when it is borne in mind that some of the peaks up
which it winds its way are so steep that even climbing
on foot is not an easy task. The height is not
uniform, but where it is highest it reaches to over
thirty feet. The North Gate, for instance, is at a
much higher level than the town down below, and it is
necessary to go up a steep road to reach it. From it
a very good idea is obtainable of the exact situation of

THE CITY WALL 125

Seoul. Down in the valley, a narrow one, lies the
town itself, completely surrounded by hills, and even
mountains, covered with thick snow during the winter
months.

The wall, several miles long, goes over the hill
ridges far above the level of the town, except towards
the west, where it descends to the valley, and is on
almost level ground, as far as the East Gate. It has a
rampart in which holes have been pierced, for the
defence of the town by archers and gunners ; and, to
let out the water of the streams, which intersect the
town, low arches have been cut in the wall, provided
with strong iron bars, and a solid grating through
which no man can penetrate. Outside the town,
bridges of masonry have been constructed ; for
instance, there is one of four arches, a short distance
from the North Gate, being the continuation of a
portion of the wall protecting the river valley on the
north of Seoul. Not far from this bridge, is a
monastery, and a small temple with curled-up roof
supported by columns, painted red and green. The
latter protects an enormous block of stone upon which
has been carved a large image of Buddha, the surface
of which has been painted white. When I saw it,
close by the river side, with the sun shining on it, and
its image reflected in the limpid ice of the frozen river,
the sight was indeed quite a picturesque one.

Towards the south side of Seoul, and within the
city wall, rises in a cone-like fashion a high hill called
Mount Nanzam. One cannot help feeling interested
about this hill, and for many reasons. In the first
place, it is most picturesque ; secondly, it is a rare

128 COREA

which the alarm is raised that the country is in danger.
The code of smoke signalling, however, is almost
limited to that one signal ; for, on a windy or rainy day,
it would be quite impossible to distinguish whether
there were one or more torches smoking, unless, of
course, they could be set very far apart, which cannot
be done on Nanzam. Prior to sending a message,
a bell is rung in the royal palace to attract the
attention of the Mountain Watchmen. The whole
code, for they have a really systematic way of using
their pyrographs, is worked with five burning fires
only, and more than that number of lights are never
shown, though, of course, many times there are less.
The five-lights-together signal, I believe, indicates
that the country is in imminent danger ; there are
other signals to meet the cases of rebellions, recalling
of magistrates from distant provinces, orders to them
to extort money from their subjects, the despatch or
recall of troops, &c. &c.

A few yards from the signal station, though still
on Mount Nanzam, there is a picturesque red joss-
house with a shrine in close proximity to it. The
story goes — and the women of Cho-sen find it con-
venient to believe it — that a visit to this particular
joss-house has the wonderful effect of making sterile
women prolific. . A few strings of cash and a
night's rest at the temple— preceded, if I remember
rightly, by prayers — constitute sufficient service to
satisfy the family duties, and I was certainly told that
in many cases the oracle worked so well that in due
time the chin-chins got rewarded with the birth of
babies. I may mention incidentally that the caretaker

FIRE-SIGNALS

127

though well aware that they would, if caught, most
certainly find themselves in the awkward position of
having their heads cut off, nevertheless used to
approach the coast by night in swift junks, make
daring raids, and pillage the villages, and even some
of the smaller towns. So suddenly were these in-
cursions usually made that by the time the natives had
managed to get over their astonishment at the attack

THE FIRE-SIGNAL STATION AND JOSS-HOUSE

of these unpleasant and greedy visitors, the acute
Chinamen, with their booty, were well out at sea
again.

The great drawback to fire-signalling is, that
messages can only be clearly conveyed at night. In
the day-time, when necessary, smoke-signals are
transmitted, though never with the same safety as are
the fire-signals. By burning large torches of wet
straw, masses of white smoke are produced, upon

128 COREA

which the alarm is raised that the country is in danger.
The code of smoke signalling, however, is almost
limited to that one signal ; for, on a windy or rainy day,
it would be quite impossible to distinguish whether
there were one or more torches smoking, unless, of
course, they could be set very far apart, which cannot
be done on Nanzam. Prior to sending a message,
a bell is rung in the royal palace to attract the
attention of the Mountain Watchmen. The whole
code, for they have a really systematic way of using
their pyrographs, is worked with five burning fires
only, and more than that number of lights are never
shown, though, of course, many times there are less.
The five-lights-together signal, I believe, indicates
that the country is in imminent danger ; there are
other signals to meet the cases of rebellions, recalling
of magistrates from distant provinces, orders to them
to extort money from their subjects, the despatch or
recall of troops, &c. &c.

A few yards from the signal station, though still
on Mount Nanzam, there is a picturesque red joss-
house with a shrine in close proximity to it. The
story goes — and the women of Cho-sen find it con-
venient to believe it — that a visit to this particular
joss-house has the wonderful effect of making sterile
women prolific. . A few strings of cash and a
night s rest at the temple — preceded, if I remember
rightly, by prayers — constitute sufficient service to
satisfy the family duties, and I was certainly told that
in many cases the oracle worked so well that in due
time the chin-chms got rewarded with the birth of
babies. I may mention incidentally that the caretaker

FOREIGN BUILDINGS 129

of the joss-house was a strong, healthy, powerful
man.

As we are now on a splendid point of vantage for
a bird's-eye view of the town we may as well take
a glance over it.

Very prominent before us, after the large enclosure
of the royal Palace, are the foreign buildings, such
as the Japanese Legation on a smaller hill at the
foot of Nanzam, and overlooking the large Japanese
settlement ; the abode of the Chinese Minister resi-
dent, with its numerous buildings around it ; the
British Consulate with its new red brick house in
course of construction ; and, by the side of the last
mentioned, the compounds of the American and
Russian legations. Farther on, nearer the royal
Palace, the German flag may be seen surmounting the
German Consulate, which is situated in an enclosure
containing several Corean houses which have been
reduced a r Europdenne and made very comfortable.
Then the large house with a glass front is the one now
inhabited by the Vice- Minister for Home Affairs, but
the grounds surrounding this are very restricted. A
nunnery and a few houses of missionaries also stand
prominent, mostly in the neighbourhood of the
Japanese settlement.

The Japanese settlement, into which we will now
descend, is noteworthy for the activity and commercial
enterprise shown by the subjects of the Mikado. It
is remarkable, also, to notice the curious co-existence of
sense and nonsense in the Jap's adoption of foreign
customs. For instance, you see the generality of
them dressed in European clothes, but nevertheless

I30 COREA

Still sticking to the ancient custom of removing their
boots on entering a house ; a delightful practice, I
agree, in Japan, where the climate is mild, but not in
a country like Corea, where you have an average of
sixty degrees of frost. Then again, the Japanese
houses, the outer walls of which consist of tissue
paper, seem hardly suited to such a climate as that of
Corea. It is really comical to watch them as they
squat in a body round a brass brasier, shivering and
blue with cold, with thin flat faces and curved backs ;
reminding one very much of the large family of
quadrumans at the Zoo on a cold day. Nevertheless,
they are perfectly happy, though many die of pleurisy,
consumption, and cold in the chest.

The Japanese women dress, of course, in their
national kimonos, and just as it is in Japan the fashion
to show a little of the chest under the throat, so in
Cho-sen the same custom is adopted ; with the result
that many are carried off by bronchitis to the next
world.

One cannot but admire the Japanese, however, for
the cleanliness of their houses and for the good-will
— sometimes too much of it — which they display as
well in their commercial dealings as in their colonising
schemes. The custom of daily bathing in w^ater of
a boiling-point temperature is carried on by them
in Corea as in their own country, notwithstanding
which I venture to say that the Japanese are very
dirty people. This remark seems non-coherent and
requires, I am afraid, some explanation.

" How can they be dirty if they bathe every day ?
I call that being very clean," I fancy I hear you reply.

CLEAN OR NOT CLEAN 131

So they would undoubtedly be, if they bathed in
•clean water ; but, unfortunately, this is just what they
do not do, and, to my uncivilised mind, bathing in
filthy water seems ten times more dirty than not
bathing at all. Just imagine a small tank of water
in which dozens, if not hundreds, of people have been
already boiled before you in your turn use it, and upon
which float large ''eyes" of greasy matter. Well,
this is what every good Japanese is expected to
immerse himself in, right up to his nose, for at least
half an hour at a time ! I cannot but admire them
for their courage in doing it, but, certainly, from the
4point of view of cleanliness my view is quite different ;
for, really and truly, I have always failed to see where
the ''cleanliness" comes in. Persons belonging to
the wealthier classes have small baths of their own,
in the steaming hot liquid of which bask in turns
the family itself, their friends, the children and
servants ; and probably the same water is used again
and again for two or three days in succession.

I remember well how horrified I was one evening,
in the Land of the Rising Sun, when, on visiting a
small village, I was, as a matter of politeness on their
part, requested to join in the bath. Being a novice at
Japanese experiences, and as their request was so
pressing, I thanked them and accepted ; whereupon, I
was buoyantly led to the bath. Oh what a sight !
Three skinny old women, "disgraces," I may almost
call them, for certainly they could not be classified
under the designation of " graces," were sitting in a
row with steaming water up to their necks, under-
going the process of being boiled. What! thought

132 COREA

I, panic-stricken — am I to bathe with these three
.... old Hzards ? Oh no, not I ! and I made a rush
for the door, greatly to the annoyance of the people,
who not only considered me very dirty, but also very
rude In not availing myself of their polite invitation [
The next morning as I took my cold bath as usual
in beautifully clean spring water, I was condemned
and pitied as a lunatic ! Such are the different
customs of different people.

When visiting Seoul, It is well worth one's while to
take a walk to the Pekin Pass, a li or two outside the
West Gate. The pass itseff, which is cut Into the rock,
is situated on the road leading from Seoul to Pekin ;
which, by the way, is the road by which the envoys
of the Chinese Emperor, following an ancient custom,
travel overland with a view to claiming the tribute
payable by the King of Corea. As a matter of fact,
this custom of paying tribute had almost fallen Into
disuse, and China had not, for some years, I believe,
enforced her right of suzerainty over the Corean
peninsula, until the year 1890, when the envoys of the
Celestial Emperor once again proceeded on their
wearisome and long journey from Pekin to the
capital of Cho-sen. It was here at the Pekin Pass,
then, that, according to custom, they were received
with great honour by the Coreans, and led into Seoul.
It was at a large house, surrounded by a wall, on the
road side, that these envoys were usually received
and welcomed, either by the king In person or by
some representative ; and It was here that they were
treated with refreshments and food, previously to
being conducted In state into the capital, this being

THE WATER-CARRIER 133

accomplished amidst the cheers of a Corean crowd,
which, like other crowds, is always ready to cheer the
last comer. At the Pekin Pass, a *' triumphal arch"
— for want of a better word — could be seen. It was a
lofty structure, composed of two high columns, the
lower part of these being of masonry, and the upper of
lacquered wood, which supported a heavy roof of the
orthodox Corean pattern, under w^hich, about one-fourth
■down the columns, was a portion decorated with native
fretwork of a somewhat rough type. The illustration
represents this monument as it appeared in winter
time, when the ground was covered with snow, beyond
it being the square cut in the rocks, through which the
road leads to Newchuang and Pekin.

There are two types of individuals that are very
interesting from a picturesque point of view ; viz., the
water-coolie, and the man who carries the huge locks
and keys of the city gates.

The water-coolie is almost as much of a
" personality," as the mapu, in his rude independent
ways. He displays much patience, and certainly
deserves admiration for the amount of work he daily
does, for very little pay. His work consists in carry-
ing water, from morning until night, to whoever wants
it. This is a simple enough process in summer time,
but in winter matters are rather different, for now
nearly all the fountains are frozen, and the water has
to be drawn from a well. The water-coolie carries a
peculiar arrangement on his shoulders, a long pole
fastened cross-wise upon his shoulder-blades, by
straps going under and round the arms ; by which
means he is enabled to carry two buckets of water at a

134 COREA

time. The arrangement, though more complicated, Is.
not dissimilar to that used for the same purpose, by
women in Holland, or to that for carrying milk in
many parts of Switzerland. In winter time the
buckets of water become buckets of ice the moment
they are drawn from the well, and then it Is really
pitiable to see these poor beggars with the skin of
their hands all cracked and bleeding with the cold.
They run along at a good pace when loaded, and
show great judgment In avoiding collision, sighing as
they go a loud hess ! hess ! hess ! hess ! to which they
keep time with their steps. They are considered
about the lowest creatures In the kingdom, and enjoy
some of the privileges of children and unmarried men
as regards clothing ; for Instance, they generally wear
a light blue jacket even when the country Is in mourn-
ing. When on duty they never wear hats, and often
no head-bands, having, instead, blue kerchiefs wrapt
round the head. The Inevitable long pipe is not for-
gotten, and is carried, after the fashion of the mapu,.
stuck down the back.

The lock-carrier, again, is by no means the dirtiest
individual in the land of Cho-sen, at least as far as it
was my good fortune to see. Nevertheless, his clothes,
are Invariably in a state of dilapidation, and, though
Intended to be white, are usually black with grease and
dirt. As he is employed by the Government he wears
the deepest mourning ; his face, and one half of his
body being actually hidden under the huge hat pro-
vided for deep mourners. He seldom possesses a pair
of padded socks and sandals, and in the coldest days
walks about bare-footed with his trousers turned up to-

VV.-A i i:.K-*^OUi>li

i

THE MAN OF THE GATES 135

the knees. He is visible only at sunrise and sunset^
when he goes on his round to all the city gates in
order to inspect the locks and bring or take away the
keys. Slung down his back, he carries a large leather
bag, something like a tennis bag, which contains
numberless iron implements of different shapes and
weights. He appears to be friendless and despised by
everybody, and I have never seen him talk to any one.
I rather pitied the poor fellow as I saw him go night
after night, with his long unwashed face and hands,
along the rampart of the wall from one gate to another.
Apropos of this I once made a Corean very angry by
remarking that '* really the safety of the city could not
be in dirtier hands."

CHAPTER IX

The Corean house — Doors and windows — Blinds — Rooms — The " Kan"
— Roasting alive — Furniture — Treasures — The kitchen — Dinner-
set — Food — Intoxicants — Gluttony — Capacity for food — Sleep —
Modes of illumination — Autographs — Streets — Drainage — Smell.

Let us now see what a Corean household is Hke.
But, first, as to the matter of house architecture.
Here there is little difference to be observed between
the house of the noble and that of the peasant, except
that the former is generally cleaner-looking. The
houses in Corea may be divided into two classes — those
with thatched roofs of barley-straw, and those with
roofs of tiles, stone and plaster. The latter are the
best, and are inhabited by the well-to-do classes. The
outside walls are of mud and stone, and the roof, when
of tiles, is supported by a huge beam that runs from
one end of the house to the other. The corners of the
roof are usually curled up after the Chinese fashion.
A stone slab runs along the whole length of the roof,
and is turned up at the two ends, over the upper angle
of the roof itself. The tiles are cemented at the two
sides of this slab, and likewise at the lower borders of
the roof The windows, again, are rectangular and
are placed directly under the roof, being in consequence
well protected from the rain.

Corean houses are never more than one storey high.

COREAN HOUSES 137

The houses of officials and rich people are enclosed by
a wall of masonry, the gate of which is surmounted by
a small pagoda-like roof. In the case of the houses of
great swells, like generals and princes, it is customary
to have two and even three gates, which have to be
passed through in succession before the door of the
house is reached. The outer wall surrounding the
compound is seldom more than six or eight feet high,
and, curiously enough, all along the top of the wall runs
a narrow roof, the width of two tiles. This, besides
being a sort of ornament, is of practical use in protecting
it from the damp.

One cannot call the Coreans great gardeners, for
they seem to take comparatively little interest in the
native flora. The richer people do, as a rule, have
small gardens, which are nicely laid out with one or
two specimens of the flowers they esteem and care to
cultivate ; but really ornamental gardens are few in
number in the Land of Cho-sen. Kitchen gardens
naturally are frequently found, even near the houses of
the poorer people.

One peculiarity which characterises the majority of
Curean houses of the better sort is that they are
entered by the windows ; these being provided with
sliding latticed frames covered with tissue paper, and
running on grooves to the sides, like the Shojis of
Japan. The tissue paper is often dipped in oil
previous to being used on the sliding doors and
windows, as it is then supposed to keep out the cold
better than when left in its natural state. As the doors
and windows of Cho-sen, however, very seldom have
the quality of fitting tight, a Corean house is there-

138 COREA

fore quite a rendezvous for draughts and currents of
air.

In summer time the windows and doors are kept
open, or even removed altogether during the day-
time, and then, in order to preserve that privacy of
which every Corean is so proud, recourse is had to a
capital dodge. At the end of the projecting roof, and
immediately in front of the window or entrance, at the
distance of a couple of feet, is hung a shade in the
shape of a fine mat, made of numberless long strings
of split bamboo, tied together in a parallel position by
several silk strings which vary in number with the
size of the mat. The use of these curtain-like barriers
has several advantages. They protect the house from
those troublesome visitors the flies; they let in the
air, though not the sun, and, while the people who
are in the house can plainly see through them what
goes on in the street, no one on the outside can dis-
tinguish either those inside, or what is doing in the
house. Good mats are very expensive, and difficult
to obtain ; therefore, it is only the better classes that
can use them. Poorer folk are satisfied with very
rough mats of rushes. It is also the custom for good
citizens of the provinces to send the king at the New
Year presents of a certain number of these mats,
which, like the Indian shawls of Her Britannic Majesty,
are given out again by him to the royal princes and
highest officials. I was fortunate enough to be
presented with two of these blinds by a high official,
who was closely related to the king. They are a
marvel of patient and careful work, as accurately and
delicately done as if some machine had been employed.

HEATING ARRANGEMENTS 139

They are nearly six feet high, by five wide, and are
yellow in colour with black, red, and green stripes
painted at the top and bottom. In the centre is a
very pretty, simple frieze, on the inside of which are
some Corean characters.

If a Corean house does not look very inviting when
you look at it from the outside, still less does it when
you are indoors. The smallness of the rooms and
their lack of furniture, pictures, or ornaments are
features not very pleasant to the eye. The rooms are
like tiny boxes, between eight and ten feet long, less
than this in width and about seven feet high. They
are white all over with the exception of the floor,
which is covered with thick, yellowish oil-paper. The
poorest kind of Corean house consists of only a single
room ; the abode of the moderately well-off man, on
the other hand, may have tw^o or three, generally
three rooms ; though, of course, the houses of very
high officials are found with a still larger number.

The Corean process of heating the houses is some-
what original. It is a process used in a great part
of Eastern Asia — and, to my mind, it is the only
thoroughly barbaric custom which the Corean natives
have retained. The flooring of the rooms consists of
slabs of stone, under which is a large oven of the
same extent as the room overhead, which oven,
during the winter, is filled with a burning wood-fire,
which is kept up day and night. What happens is
generally this : The coolie whose duty it is to look
after this oven, to avoid trouble fills it with wood and
dried leaves up to the very neck, and sets these on fire
and then goes to sleep ; by which means the stone

140 COREA

slabs get heated to such an extent that, sometimes, not-
withstanding the thick oil paper which covers them,
one cannot stand on them with bare feet.

The Corean custom is to sleep on the ground in
the padded clothes, using a wooden block as a pillow.
The better classes, however, use also small, thin
mattresses, covered with silk, which they spread out
at night, and keep rolled up during the daytime. As
the people sleep on the ground, it often happens that
the floor gets so hot as to almost roast them, but the
easy-going inhabitant of Cho-sen, does not seem to
object to this roasting process — on the contrary, he
seems almost to revel in it, and when well broiled on
one side, he will turn over to the other, so as to level
matters. While admiring the Coreans much for this
proceeding, I found it extremely inconvenient to imitate
them. I recollect well the first experience which I had
of the use of a " Kan," which is the native name of the
oven. On that occasion it was *' made so hot " for me,
that I began to think I had made a mistake, and
that I had entered a crematory oven instead of a
sleeping-room. Putting my fist through one of the
paper windows to get a little air only made matters
ten times worse, for half my body continued to under-
go the roasting process, while the other half was get-
ting unpleasantly frozen. To this day, it has always
been a marvel to me, and an unexplainable fact that,
those who use the " Kan " do not '* wake up — dead "
in the morning !

The furniture of a Corean house, as I have hinted
above, is neither over plentiful nor too luxurious. In
fact, at the first glance, one is almost inclined to say

FURNITURE 141

that there is, so to speak, no furniture at all there. Pos-
sibly, a tiger or a leopard-skin may be found spread on
the ground in the reception room ; there may even be
a rough minuscule chest of drawers in a corner, and a
small, low writing-table near it, upon which probably
rests a little jar with a flower or two in it ; but rarely will
you find much more. The bedrooms usually contain
chests, in which the clothing is kept, but there is also
a custom by which these are hung on pegs in a recess
in the wall. The chests are covered with white parch-
ment studded all over with brass nails, and further
adorned with a brass lock and two handles of the same
metal. When voyaging, the Coreans use these as
trunks. Besides the rooms I have mentioned, the
richer Corean has a special room, generally kept
locked up, in which the treasures of the family are
jealously safeguarded. The latter are in the shape of
ancient native pictures, rolled up like the Kakemonos
of Japan, painted screens and vases of the Satsuma
ware, the art of making which was taught to the
Japanese by the Coreans, although now those who were
formerly masters in the art cannot produce it. Some
Coreans also possess valuable specimens of lacquer
work, both of Chinese and Japanese origin, as well
as a rougher kind of native production. None of
these heirlooms are, however, ever brought to light,
and it is only on rare and very grand occasions, such
as marriages, deaths, or national rejoicings, that one
or two articles are brought into the reception-room for
the day, to be again carefully packed up and stored away
at night. The idea, which prevails in Japan, is also cur-
rent here, namely, that it is bad form to make a great

142 COREA

show of what one possesses, and that the wealthier
a man is, the less should he disclose the fact and
the simpler should he live, that he may not so excite
the envy of his fellow countrymen. Self-denial and
self-inflicted discomforts are virtues much appreciated
in the Land of Cho-sen, and when a nobleman sets a
good example in this respect it is invariably thought
highly of, and emulated by others. Indeed, the con-
versation of the whole town is often concentrated on
some small act of benevolence done by such and such
a prince, nobleman or magistrate.

But the kitchen must not be forgotten. Its most
striking contents are the large earthenware vases,
similar in shape and size to the orcis of Italy, in which
the top-knotted native keeps his wine, water, barley
and rice. Then there are numberless shining brass
cups, saucers, and bowls of various sizes. The latter
forms the Corean dinner-service. Every piece of this
is made of brass. The largest bowls are used, one for
soup, and the other for rice ; the next in size, for wine
and water respectively ; while the smaller ones are for
bits of vegetables and sauces — which latter are used
by the natives in profusion. Curiously enough, in the
Land of the Morning Calm they manufacture a sauce
which is, so far as I could judge, identical in taste and
colour with our well-known Worcester sauce.

The Coreans eat their food with chopsticks, but
contrary to the habits of their neighbours, the Chinese
and the Japanese, spoons also are used. The chop-
sticks are of very cheap wood, and fresh ones are used
at nearly every meal. The diet also is much more
varied than in either of the neighbouring countries,

FOOD

43

and game, venison, raw fish, beef, pork, fowls, eggs,
and sea- weed are much appreciated. As for fruits, the
Coreans get simply mad over them, the most favourite
being the persimmons, of which they eat large quan-
tities both fresh and dried. Apples, pears and plums
are also plentifully used.

The Cho-sen people have three meals a day. The
first is partaken of early in the morning, and is only a
light one ; then comes lunch in the middle of the day,
a good square meal ; and finally the Tai-sek, a great
meal, in the evening, at which Corean voracity is
exhibited to the best advantage. The climate being
so much colder than that of Japan, it is only natural
that the Cho-senese should use more animal food and
fat than do the landsman of the Mikado. Pork and
beef, barely roasted and copiously condimented with
pepper and vinegar, are devoured in large quantities.
The Coreans also have a dish much resembling the
Italian maccaroni or vermicelli. Of this large bowls
may be seen at all the eating-shops in Seoul, and it is
as a food apparently more cherished by members of
the lower than by those of the upper classes. Previous
to being eaten, it is dipped in a very flavoury sauce, and,
although they are not quite so graceful in the art of
eating as are the Neapolitan Lazzaroiii, still with the
help of a spoon and as many fingers as are available,
the Corean natives seem to manage to swallow large
quantities of this in a very short time.

Among the lower classes in Corea tea is almost
unknown as a beverage. In its stead they delight in
drinking the whitish stuff produced by the rice when
it has been boiled in water, or as an alternative, in-

144 COREA

fusions of ginsang. They also brew at home two or
three different kinds of liquor of different strengths
and tastes, by fermenting barley, rice and millet. The
beer of fermented rice is not at all disagreeable, and
their light wine also is, so far as wines go, even
palatable. However, I may as well state once for all
that I am no judge of these matters, and, as my time
is chiefly employed in the art of oil-painting, and not
in that of drinking, I hope to be excused if I think
myself better up in '' oils " than in wines ! !

Presuming that my reader has survived this pun, I
will now go on to state that it is a common thing in
Corea to begin a dinner with sweets, and that another
curious custom is for all present to drink out of the
same bowl of wine passed round and of course re-filled
when empty. The dinner is served on tiny tables
rising only a few inches above the ground, and similar
to those of Japan. Fish, as is the case with most
Easterners, are eaten raw ; first, however, being dipped
in the liquid which resembles Worcestershire sauce.
To cook a fish is simply looked upon as a shameful
way of spoiling it, unless it has gone bad, when, of
course, cooking becomes necessary. Fish are, how-
ever, most prized by the Coreans when just taken out
of the water.

Hard-boiled eggs form another favourite dish in the
land of Cho-sen, and turnips, potatoes, and a large
radish similar to the daikon of Japan, are also partaken
of at Corean dinners. The poorer classes seem to relish
highly a dreadful-looking salad, of a small fish much
resembling whitebait, highly flavoured with quantities
of pepper, black sauce and vinegar, with bits of pork-

FOOD 145

meat frequently thrown in. The whole thing has an
unpleasant brownish colour, and the smell of it re-
minded me much of a photographer's dark room when
collodion is in use, except that the smell of the fish-
salad is considerably stronger.

The Coreans excel and even surpass themselves in
cooking rice. This is almost an art with them, and the
laurels for high achievements in it belong to the
women, for it is to them that work of this kind is
entrusted. Sometimes the Cho-senese make a kind of
pastry, but they have nothing at all resembling our
bread. Rice takes the place of the last mentioned,
and though, so far as I could see, the fair ladies of
Cho-sen were somewhat casual in the exercise of the
culinary art, they really took enormous trouble to boil
the rice properly. It is first well washed in a large
pail, and properly cleaned ; then it undergoes a process
of slow boiling in plenty of water in such a way that,
while quite soft and delicious to the taste, each grain
retains its shape and remains separate, instead of making
the kind of paste produced by our method of boiling it.
The whitish water left behind after the rice has been
removed is, as we have seen, used as a cooling beverage.
In some respects the Corean diet approaches the
Chinese and the Indian, rather than the Japanese ; for
many a time have I seen men in Corea eat their rice
mixed with meat and fish, well covered with strong
sauce, in the shape of a curry ; whereas in Japan the
boiled rice is always in a bowl apart and eaten sepa-
rately.

The Corean mind seems to lay great stress upon the
quantity of food that the digestive organs will bear.

146 COREA

Nothing gives more satisfaction to a Corean than to
be able to pat his tightly-stretched stomach, and, with
a deep sigh of relief, say : '' Oh, how much I have
eaten ! " Life, according to them, would not be worth
living if it were not for eating. Brought up under a
regime of this kind, it is not astonishing that their capa-
city for food is really amazing. I have seen a Corean
devour a luncheon of a size that would satisfy three
average Europeans, and yet after that, when I was
anxiously expecting to see him burst, fall upon a large
dish of dried persimmons, the heaviest and most
indigestible things in existence. ''They look very
good," said he, as he quickly swallowed one, and with
his supple fingers undid the beautiful bow of his girdle
and loosened it, thus apparently providing for more
space inside. '' I shall eat one or two," he murmured,
as he was in the act of swallowing the second ; and,
in less than no time the whole of the fruit had passed
from the dish into his digestive organs, and he was
intently gathering up, with the tips of his licked fingers,
the few grains of sugar left at the bottom of the dish.

'' I was unwell and had no appetite to-day," he then
innocently remarked, as he lifted up his head.

'' Oh, I hope you will come again when you are
quite well," said I, ''but you must promise not to eat
the table, because it does not belong to me."

A good deal of the native voracity is due, however,
not to this insatiable appetite and gluttony alone, but
also to Corean etiquette, according to which it shows
a want of respect to the host and is a mark of great
rudeness not to eat all that is placed before one. If
all is not eaten, they argue that you do not like it and

CAPACITY FOR FOOD 147

consider it to be badly cooked or inferior to what you
have at home. The notion of a normal capacity is
strange to them, and never even enters their mind.
They are trained from childhood to eat huge quantities
of food, and to take heartily all that they can get. I
have seen children with thin little bellies so extended
after a meal, in the course of which they had been
stuffed with rice and barley, that they could hardly
walk or even breathe. I recollect on one occasion
remarking to a mother, who was beamingly showing
me her child in a similar condition: **Are you not
afraid that his skin will give way ? " *' Oh no !
Look ! " Upon which she stuffed down his little throat
three or four more spoonfuls of rice. I have been
thankful ever since that I was not born a Corean child.

When the Coreans eat in their own houses, the men
of the family take their meals first, being waited on by
their wives and servants ; after which the females
have their repast in a separate room. The women
seldom drink intoxicants, and have to be satisfied
with water and rice- wash.

It is the duty of the wife to look after the welfare of
her husband, and when she has fed him, and he has
drowsily laid himself down on the ground, or on his
little mattress, as the case may be, she retires, and after
having had her food either goes to see her friends or
to wash her master's clothes, or else goes to sleep.

The people of Cho-sen are fond of keeping late
hours ; and yet I believe there are no people in the
world who are more fond of sleep. So far as my
observations go, the richer people spend their lives
entirely in eating and sleeping. Whenever I went to

148 COREA

call on a Corean gentleman, I invariably found him
either gorging or in the arms of Morpheus. Naturally
a life of this sort makes the upper classes soft, and
somewhat effeminate. They are much given to
sensual pleasures, and many a man of Cho-sen is
reduced to a perfect wreck when he ought to be in his
prime. The habit of drinking more than is proper is
really a national institution, and what with over feed-
ing, drunkenness, and other vices it is not astounding
that the upper ten do not show to great advantage.
The Coreans are most irregular in their habits, for,
slumbering as they do at all hours of the day, they
often feel sleepless at night, and are compelled in
consequence to sit up. On these occasions songs are
roused, and dominoes (san-pi-yen), chess (chan-kin),
or occasionally card games are started until another
siesta is felt to be required. Cards, however, are
seldom played by the upper classes ; for they are
considered a low amusement, only fit for coolies and
soldiers. On grand occasions it is not unusual for the
bon-vivant of Cho-sen to sit up all night, with his
friends, feasting to such an extent that he and his
guests are ill for months afterwards.

The Corean nobleman, as may well be imagined,
suffers from chronic indigestion, and whenever one
happens to inquire after his health the answer
invariably is : '* I have eaten something that has
disagreed with me, I have a pain here." And the
hand is placed on the chest, in a mournful but ex-
pressive enough attitude.

The modes of illumination adopted in the Corean
household are few and simple. The most common

AUTOGRAPHS I49

illuminant consists of grease candles, supported on
high candlesticks, of wood or brass, but sometimes oil
cup-lamps are found, like those we use for night-lights.
The latter, however, do not give out much light, and
so candles, which are marvellously cheap, are preferred,
although unfortunately they melt quickly, and smoke
and smell in a dreadful fashion

Besides the various articles of domestic furniture
which I have mentioned, I don't think I saw any
others worth noticing, except perhaps the ''auto-
graph" of some great man, to which the Coreans
attach much importance. The paper, on which the
'' character" is written, is stretched on a wooden frame
and hung in a prominent place, generally over the
entrance, and whenever a new visitor enters the house,
the first thing shown him is the ''autograph," and it is
his duty then to compliment his host on his good
fortune of possessing it.

We have now examined all the various striking-
features characteristic of the Corean household. Let
us, then, now go outside again. The streets of the town
could not be more tortuous and irregular. With the
exception of the main thoroughfares, most of the
streets are hardly wide enough to let four people walk
abreast. The drainage is carried away in uncovered
channels alongside the house, in the street itself ; and,
the windows being directly over these drains, the
good people of Cho-sen, when inside their homes,
cannot breathe without inhaling the fumes exhaled
from the fetid matter stagnant underneath. When
rain falls, matters get somewhat better ; for then the
running water cleans these canals to a considerable

150 COREA

extent. During the winter months, also, things are
passable enough, for then everything is frozen ; but,
in the beginning of spring, when frozen nature under-
goes the process of thawing, then it is that one wishes
to be deprived of his nose. At the entrance of each
house a stone slab is thrown across to the doorway so
as to cover the ditch. Only the foundations of the
town houses are made of solid stone, well cemented,
but in the case of country dwellings these are extended
upwards so as to make up one-half of the whole height,
the upper part being of mud, stuck on to a rough
matting of bamboos and split canes.

CHAPTER X

A Corean marriage — How marriages are arranged — The wedding cere-
mony—The document — In the nuptial-chamber — Wife's conduct —
Concubines — Widows — Seduction — Adultery — Purchasing a hus-
bond — Love — Intrigue — Official "squeezing" — The cause.

Among the several misfortunes, or fortunes, if you
prefer the word, with which a Corean man has to
put up is an early marriage. He is hardly born, when
his father begins to look out for a wife for him, and
scarcely has he time to know that he is living in the
world at all than he finds himself wedded. . . . The
Coreans marry very young. I have seen boys of ten
or twelve years of age who had already discarded the
bachelor s long tress hanging down the back, and were
wearing the top-knot of the married man. It must
not be supposed, however, that these youthful married
men are really wedded in the strict sense of the word,
for, as a matter of fact, though husband and wife in
the eyes of the world, the two do not live together
till the age of puberty is reached. In other words, the
marriage is for several years only a nominal one, and
corresponds rather to our "engagement." There are
duties, none the less, which a married man must per-
form, no matter how youthful he may be. From
the moment he is wedded he must be a man, however
childlike in years, and henceforth he can associate only

152 COREA

with men. His infantile games, romps with other
children who are still bachelors, spinning tops and all
other amusements, which he so much enjoyed, are
suddenly brought to an end and he is now compelled
to be as sedate as an old man.

The illustration (p. 79) shows a young married
man of the age of twelve, a relation of the queen.
As I was taking his portrait, I asked him how he
liked his wife and what her appearance was.

*' I do not know," he said, ''for I have only seen her
once, and I have as yet never spoken to her."

'' But, then, how can you like her ? "

*' Because it is my father's wish that I should, and
I must obey my father."

'* Does your father know the girl well ? "

''No, but he knows her father."

" And what does your mother say ? "

" She says nothing."

-Why?"

" Because she is dead."

I found this an excellent reason for the silence on
the mother's side and I proceeded with the picture,
but once again attacked him with the view of, if
possible, obtaining further information.

" When will you go and live with your wife ? "

" When I shall be nineteen or twenty years old."

The whole arrangement seemed to me so strange
that I naturally longed for further details about marital
relations in Cho-sen. The facts as told to me are
as follows : In Cho-senese weddings the two people
least concerned are the bride and bridegroom. Every-
thing, or at least nearly everything, is done for them,

HOW MARRIAGES ARE ARRANGED 153

either by their relations or through the agency of a
middle-man. When both the persons to be wedded
possess fathers, a friendly pourparler takes place
between the two papas and in the course of repeated
libations of wine, the terms are settled, and with the
help of a '' wise man " a lucky day is named, upon which
the wedding shall take place. On the other hand,
should the bridegroom have no father, then a middle-
man is appointed by the nearest relations to carry on
the transaction with the girl's progenitor. It is not
uncommon for two persons to be married several
years without ever having seen each other. This, for
instance, may be the case when the young lady resides
in a distant province, and a journey of inspection
would be too expensive. Under such circumstances
the bridegroom must just patiently wait until, perhaps,
years after, the bride undertakes the journey herself
and comes to live with him in his house.

After all, on thinking the matter over and bearing
in mind that with us a marriage is indeed a lottery,
I cannot see why the Corean wedding should not be
equivalent to two lotteries! Very often, weddings
are arranged by letter, in which case misunderstand-
ings frequently occur. For instance, a father who
has two daughters, a sound one and a cripple, may
have arranged for the one in good condition to be
married to a charming young man of good education
and means. When the day of the wedding, however,
arrives, judge of the surprise of the bridegroom to see
himself on the point of being united in matrimony
with a humpback lame creature, with a face and limbs
all out of drawing — in place of the ideal beauty whom

154 COREA

he had expected to obtain. What Is to be done ?
There is the written agreement, down in black and
white, and signed by his incautious father, and there
the father of the maid swearing that it was' ''this"
daughter he meant to give him, not the beautiful one !
What is to be done under such circumstances so as
not to cause grief to his parent, except to go through
with the wedding with courage and dignity, and to
provide himself with some good-looking concubines at
the earliest opportunity ?

The practice of having concubines is a national
institution and of the nature of polygamy. These
second wives are not exactly recognised by the Govern-
ment, but they are tolerated and openly allowed. The
legal wife herself is well aware of the fact, and, though
not always willing to have these rivals staying under
the same roof, she does not at all object to receiving
them and entertaining them in her own quarters — if
her lord and master orders her to do so. There are,
nevertheless, strong-minded women in the land of
Cho-sen, who resent the intrusion of these thirds, and
family dissension not unfrequently results from the
husband indulging in such conduct. Should the wife
abandon her master's roof in despair he can rightfully
have her brought back and publicly spanked with an
instrument like a paddle, a somewhat severe punish-
ment, which is apt to bring back to reason the most
ill-tempered and strong-willed woman. Such a thing,
though, very seldom happens, for, as women go, the
Corean specimens of feminine humanity seem to be
very sensible, and not much given to jealousy or to
worrying their little heads unnecessarily about such

THE WEDDING CEREMONY 155

small failings. They are perfectly well aware that
their husbands cannot easily divorce them, when once
the fatal knot has been tied, and that, though practically
inferior beings and slaves, they nevertheless come first,
and are above their rivals in the eye of the law ;
which, I suppose, is satisfaction enough for them.
Even when on friendly terms with her husband's second
loves, the wife number one never forgets to impress
them with the fact that, though tolerated, they are
considered by her to be much lower beings than herself ;
which makes them feel all the more her studied polite-
ness to them. Occasionally, however, even the cool-
headed Corean woman gets possessed with the vice
of envy — sometimes mixed with hatred — with the
result that reciprocal scratches and tearings of the hair
become rordre du jour. But to condescend to such
means of asserting one's authority is looked down
upon by the more respectable women ; and suffering
in silence is pronounced to be a nobler way of acting
under the circumstances, the woman thus setting an
example of good nature eliciting the admiration of all
her neighbours.

The wedding ceremony in Cho-sen is simple. It is
not celebrated as with us, in the house of the bride, but
in that of the bridegroom. The bride it is, who
— carried in a palanquin, if a lady of means and good
family, or on pony or donkey back, if she belongs to
the lower classes — goes, followed by parents, relations
and friends, to the house of the bridegroom. Here
she finds assembled his friends and relations, and,
having been received by the father of the. bridegroom,
she mounts a small platform erected for the purpose

156 COREA

in the centre of the room and squats down. Her
father follows suit, placing himself just behind her.
The bridegroom, apparently unconcerned by the serious
change in his life that is in prospect, sits on his heels
in front of her on the platform. A document is then
produced and unrolled, on which, in hundreds of
fantastic Chinese characters, it is certified that the
performance taking place is a bond-fide marriage
between Mr. So-and-so and the daughter of So-and-so ;
the weaker sex, as we have already seen, not being
entitled to a personal name. The two contracting
parties having signed the document, the fathers of the
bride and bridegroom and the nearest relations, follow
suit. If, as happens in many cases, the woman is able
neither to read nor write, she can make ** her mark "
on the roll of paper in question ; and I must confess
that of all the ingenious marks I have seen, this one is
the most ingenious of all. If she be a lady of rank
and illiterate, her little hand is placed on the paper
and the outline drawn round the fingers and wrist with
a fine brush dipped in Chinese ink ; but if she happens
to have no blue blood in her veins, and is, therefore,
of less gracious manners, the simpler process of smear-
ing her hand with black paint and hitting the document
with it is considered to render the ceremony more
impressive. A more or )ess vivid impression of the
wife's fleshly seal having been affixed in this way to
some part or other of the document according to her
skill in aiming, the two unfortunates resume their
dignity on the platform, sitting face to face without a
word or motion. The bridegroom then makes four
grand bows to his wife, in sign of resignation or assent,

IN THE NUPTIAL CHAMBER 157

I suppose ; and she returns two, while she treats her
father-in-law with double that amount of reverence.
This constitutes the marriage ceremony proper, but
much further bowing has to be gone through by both
the parties to each of the people present, who, accom-
panying their wedding-gifts of birds and fish with
pretty compliments, come forward, one by one, to the
platform and drink the health, happiness and joy of the
wedded pair. It is the duty of the bride to remain
perfectly mute and apparently unconcerned at all the
pretty speeches addressed to her by the bridegroom
and his friends until the nuptial-chamber is entered
later in the evening. Previous to this, however, the
bridegroom is taken away into the men's apartment,
while, on the other hand, the wife is led into the ladies'
own room. The former then has his tress cut off and
tied into a top-knot — an operation entrusted to his
best friend ; while the latter also has her hair changed
from the fashion of the maiden to that of a married
woman, by her most intimate friend. It is only after
this change in the coiffure that a man begins to be
taken notice of in the world, or is regarded as respon-
sible for his own conduct.

After being arrayed in the fashion just mentioned,
and having gone through a good deal of feasting,
husband and wife are led off to the nuptial-chamber.
Here, numerous straw puppets, which had better be
left undescribed, are placed, with a certain implication,
which need not be explained. With these, then, the
two poor wretches are shut in, while all the relations
and servants sit outside giggling and listening at the
door. The wife is not supposed to utter a sound, and

158 COREA

if by chance her voice is heard she can fully expect to
have her life chaffed out of her, and to be the talk and
the cause of good-natured fun all over the neighbour-
hood. The middle-men — either the fathers or others
— are entitled to assist at the first-night business, and
to report to the relations and friends whether the
marriage is to turn out a happy one or not. They
generally act their part behind a screen placed for the
purpose in the nuptial-chamber.

What happens is generally this : the man either
takes a violent fancy for his new bride or else he
does not care for her. If the former is the case, the
first fortnight or so is a very happy one for the couple,
and the two are continually by each other's side ; but,
by-and-by, of course, the ardour of these days gets
quieted down, and, to show his wife that after all he
does not think much of her, the man will even proceed
to enter into relationship with a second wife, and
probably soon after that also with a third or even a
fourth, according to his means. After a time, he will
again return to the first and principal wife, and repeat
to her a certain amount of affection, though never
quite so much as is displayed towards the last love.
The Corean treats his wife with dignity and kindness,
and feeds her well, but she is never allowed to forget
that she is an inferior personage. To this, however,
the women of Cho-sen seem quite resigned, and it is
marvellous how faithful they are to their husbands, and
how much they seem to think of them and their welfare
and happiness, their own selves being quite forgotten.
Should a woman of the better classes be left a widow,
she must wear mourning as long as she lives, and ever

DIVORCE 159

shed tears over the loss of her husband. To re-marry
she is not permitted. Women of the Mower classes, it
is true, do not always observe this rule — which is not
law, but merely etiquette.

Many a Cho-sen lady, also, on finding herself deprived
of her better half when she is still young in years and
physique voluntarily puts an end to her days, that she
may join her husband, wherever he may have gone,
rather than go through life alone. If, however, a son
is born, she will nurse him, and look upon him as her
master when he ofrows older and becomes the head of
the family.

To obtain a divorce in Corea is not an easy matter.
Large sums of money, however, often obtain what
right cannot. The principal causes for which, if proved,
a divorce can be obtained, are : infidelity, sterility, dis-
honesty, and incurable malady. These faults, be it
understood, only apply to women, for against the men
the weaker sex has, unfortunately, no redress. Indeed,
by the law of Corea a man becomes the owner of a
woman if he can prove that he has had intimate
relations with her. In such a case as this, even
though it has been against her parents' and her
own will, he has a perfect right to take her to his
house, and make her a wife or a concubine.

Adultery until lately was punished in Corea with
flogging and capital punishment. Now the law is
more lenient, and wives accused of such a dreadful
offence are beaten nearly to death, and when recovered,
if they do recover, are given as concubines to low
officials in the Palace or at some of the Yamens.

Women who are much deformed and have reached

i6o COREA

a certain age without finding a husband are allowed
the privilege of purchasing one, which, in other words,
corresponds to our marriage for money. In Corea,
however, the money is paid down as the consideration
for the marriage. But this sort of thing is not very
frequent, and husbands in such cases are generally
recruited from among ruined gentlemen or from the
middle classes, among whom with money anything can
be done. It is not considered quite honourable, and
the Cho-senese despise such conduct on the part of a
man.

When a woman marries she becomes co-proprietress
of all her husband's fortune and property, and should
he die without having any sons, money and land
descend to her. When this happens, however, the
larger part of the fortune is swallowed up by the
astrologers and priests, who give the woman to
understand that they are looking after the welfare of
her deceased beloved. In matters concerning the
dead, the Coreans are heedless of expense, and large
sums are spent in satisfying the wishes that dead people
convey to the living through those scamps, the as-
trologers.

The life of a Corean woman, though that of a slave
kept in strict seclusion, with prospects of floggings
and head-chopping, is not always devoid of adventures.
Love is a thing. which is capricious in the extreme,
and there are stories current in Cho-sen about young
wives being carelessly looked after by their husbands,
and falling in love with some good-looking youth,
of course married to some one else. Having,
perhaps, against her master's orders, made a hole

WIFE^S CONDUCT i6i

through the paper window, and been peeping at the
passers-by in the street, after months, or even years
of drudgery and sleepless nights thinking of her ideal —
for Corean women are passionate, and much given to
fanciful affections — she at last chances to see the man
of her heart, and manages, through the well-paid
agency of some faithful servant, to enter into com-
munication with him. If the man in question happens
to be a high official or a nobleman, what happens
generally is that the lady's husband either gets
suddenly packed off by order of the King to some
distant province, or is sent upon some travelling
employment which probably necessitates his leaving
his wife behind for several years, during which period,
under the old-fashioned excuse of news received of
the husband's death, or the plea of poverty, she very
likely becomes the concubine of the man she loves.
In Corean literature, there are many stories of the
burning affections of the fair sex, some being said to
have committed crimes, and even suicide, to be near
the man they loved.

To a European mind, certainly, the native way of
arranging marriages does not seem very likely to
make the contracting parties happy, for neither the
tastes nor respective temperaments of the young
couple are regarded. Still, taking everything into
consideration, it is marvellous how little unhappiness —
comparatively — there is in a Corean household.
Besides, it must not be supposed that, slave though
she be, the Corean woman never gets things her own
way. On the contrary, she does, and that as often as
she likes. Among the upper classes, especially those

i62 COREA

about the Court, half the trouble in the kingdom is
caused by the women, not openly, indeed, but in a
clever underhand way through their enervd husbands,
whom, instead of being the governors, they rule and
lead by the nose. Promotions, punishments, and
beheadings are generally the consequence of the work
of some female fiend. There is probably no place in
the world in which intrigue is so rampant as in the
Corean Capital. The Queen herself is said to exercise
an enormous influence over the King, and, according
to Corean reports, it is really she, and not the King,
that rules Cho-sen. She is never either seen or heard
of; and yet all the officials are frightened out of their
lives if they think they have incurred her displeasure.
For no plausible reason whatever men are sometimes
seen deprived of their high position, degraded and
exiled. Nobody knows why it is ; the accused them-
selves cannot account for it. There is only one
answer possible, namely, Cherchez la femme. The fact
is, a Corean woman can be an angel and she can be
a devil. If the former, she is soft, good, willing to
bear any amount of pain, incredibly faithful to her
husband, painstaking with her children, and willing to
work day and night without a word of reproach. If,
however, she Is the other thing, I do not think that
any devils In existence can beat her. She then has
all the bad qualities that a human body can contain.
I firmly believe that when a Corean woman Is bad
she Is capable of anything ! Much of the distress,
even, which prevails all over the country Is more or
less due to the weakness of the stronger sex towards
the women. Everybody, I suppose, is aware of the

OFFICIAL "SQUEEZING" 163

terrible system of *' squeezing"; that is to say, the
•extortion of money from any one who may possess it.
It is really painful all over Corea to see the careworn,
sad expression on everybody's face ; you see the
natives lying about idle and pensive, doubtful as to
what their fate will be to-morrow, all anxious for a
reform in the mode of government, yet all too lazy to
attempt to better their position, and this has gone on
for generations ! Such is human nature. It is hard
to suffer, but this is considered to be nothing compared
with the trouble of improving one's position.

" What is the use of working and making money,"
said a Corean once to me, *' if, when the work is done
and the money made, it is taken from you by the
officials ; you are worn out by the work you have
•done, yet are as poor as before, that is, mind you, if
you are fortunate enough not to be exiled to a distant
province by the magistrate who has enriched himself
•at your expense.'* *' Now," added the Cho-senese,
looking earnestly into my face, " would you work
under those circumstances?" "I am hanged if I
would," were the words which, to the best of my
ability, I struggled to translate into the language of
Cho-sen, in order to show my approval of these
philosophic views ; '' but, tell me, what do the officials
"do with all the money ? "

*' It is all spent in pleasure. Women are their ruin.
The feasts which they celebrate with their singers and
their concubines cost immense sums of money.
Besides, their women are like leeches, and continually
incite them to extort more and more from the public
to satisfy their ambition and evil habits. They are

164 COREA

women mostly born In dirt, but who now find them-
selves in lavishness and luxury. People who spring
up from nothing never are satisfied with what they
possess, and it is always a pleasure to them to see
other people suffering as they formerly did."

There is little doubt that what the Corean said is
perfectly true, and that the system of ''squeezing" is
carried on by the magistrates to such an extent as to
entirely ruin the people ; wherefore, it is only natural
that its depressing effects should be impressed upon
the people ''squeezed." I also believe that there is a
good deal of truth in what he said about their females
being supplied with large funds by the magistrates.
The money must come from some part, and since,
personally, they are poor and only receive a small pay,
there is no doubt that the money in question is ex-
torted as described. But let this suffice for the good
and bad qualities of the Cho-sen fairies and their funny
way of being married.

THE MARK

CHAPTER XI

Painting in Seoul — Messages from the king — Royal princes sitting for
their portraits — Breaking the mourning law — Quaint notions —
Delight and despair — Calling in cf State ceremony — Corean sol-
diers— How they mount guard — Drill — Honours — A much ad-
mired shoe — A gift.

I HAD made so many sketches in Seoul, that at last a
rumour reached the Court of the rapidity with which I
portrayed streets and people. The consequence was
that both king and princes were very anxious to see
what '' European painting " was like, as they had
never yet seen a picture painted by a European ; so
one fine day, to my great astonishment, through the
kindness of Mr. Greathouse and General Le Gendre, I
was able to induce one of the Queen's nephews, young
Min-san-ho, to sit for his likeness in his Court dress.
The picture, a life-size one, was painted in the course
•of an afternoon and was pronounced a success by my
Corean critics. In Cho-senese eyes, unaccustomed to
the effects of light, shade, and variety of colour in
painting, the work merited a great deal of admiration,
and many were the visitors who came to inspect it.
It was not, they said, at all like a picture, but just like
the man himself sitting donned in his white Court
robes and winged cap. So great was the sensation
produced by this portrait, that before many days had

i66 COREA

passed the King ordered it to be brought into his.
presence, upon which being done he sat gazing at it,
surrounded by his family and whole household. The
painting was kept at the Palace for two entire days, and
when returned to me was simply covered with finger
marks, royal and not royal, smeared on the paint, w^hich
was still moist, and that, notwithstanding that I had
been provident enough to paste in a corner of the
canvas a label in the Corean language to the effect
that fingers were to be kept off. The King declared
himself so satisfied with it that he expressed the wish
that before leaving the country I should paint the
portraits of the two most important personages in
Cho-sen after himself, viz. : the two Princes, M in-
Young- Huan, and Min- Young-Chun, the former of
whom was Commander-in chief of the Corean land
forces, and the other. Prime Minister of the kingdom,
in fact, the Bismarck of Cho-sen.

No sooner had I answered "yes" to this request
than the sitting was fixed for the next morning at 1 1
o'clock. The crucial matter, of course, was the
question of precedence, and this would have been
difficult to settle had not the Prime Minister caught a
bad cold, which caused his sitting to be delayed for
some days. Hence it was that at ii o'clock
punctually I was to portray prince Min-Young-
Huan, the commander-in-chief of the Corean troops.

General Le Gendre, with his usual kindness, had
offered me a room in his house, in which I could
receive, and paint His Royal Highness. The excite-
ment at Court on the subject of these pictures, had
apparendy been great, for late at night a message was.

H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN

ROYAL PORTRAITS 167

brought me from the palace to the effect that the
King, having heard that I preferred painting the
two princes in their smartest dark blue gowns of lovely
silk instead of in their white mourning ones, had given
Min orders to comply with my wish. The grant of such
a privilege was, indeed, remarkable, when it is remem-
bered how strict the rules as to mourning were, not
only at Court, but all over the country ; for so strict
are the mourning rules of the country, that the slightest
exception to them may mean the loss of one's head. The
precaution, however, was taken to bind me to secrecy,
on the ground that a bad example of this kind coming
from royalty might actually cause a revolutionary out-
break. It was naturally with the greatest pleasure, at
my success, and the courtesy shown me, that I went to
bed, not, however, without having received yet
another message from General Le Gendre, asking me
to be in attendance punctually at 1 1 a.m.

It was just 6.30 in the morning, when there was a
loud tap at my door, and the servant rushed in, in the
wildest state of excitement, handing me a note from
General Le Gendre. The note read somewhat as
follows : " Dear Mr. Landor, Prince Min has arrived at
my house to sit for 'his picture. Please come at
once."

That is punctuality, is it not ? To make an appoint-
ment, and go to the place to keep it four-and-a-half
hours before the time appointed !

In less than no time I was on the spot. Le
Gendre's house was, as it were, in a state of siege, for
hundreds of armed soldiers were drawn up, in the
little lane leading to it, while the court of his com-

i68 COREA

pound was crammed with followers and officers, in
their smartest clothes. The warriors, who had already-
made themselves comfortable, and were squatting on
their heels, playing cards and other games, got up
most respectfully as I passed, and, by command of one
of the officers, rendered me a military salute, which I
must confess made me feel very important. I had
never suspected that such an armed force was necessary
to protect a man who was going to have his portrait
painted, but of course, I am well aware that artists
are always most unreliable people. When the real
reason of this display was explained, I did indeed feel
much flattered.

The Prince had, in fact, come to me in his
grandest style, and with his full escort, just as if his
object had been to call on some royal personage, such
as the King himself The compliment was, I need
hardly say, much appreciated by me. I was actually
lifted up the steps of the house by his servants, for it
was supposed that the legs of such a grand personage
must indeed be incapable of bearing his body, and thus
I was brought into his presence. As usual, he was most
affable, and full of wit and fun. So great had been
his anxiety to be down on canvas, that he had been
quite unable to sleep. He could only wish for the
daylight to come, which was to immortalise him, and
that was why he had come ''a little" before his
time.

Having assured himself that there was no one else
in the room, he discarded his mourning clothes, and
put on a magnificent blue silk gown with baggy
sleeves, upon which dragons were depicted, in rather

COSTUME 169

lighter tones. On his chest, he wore a square on
which in multicoloured embroideries were represented
the flying phoenix and the tiger, and the corners of
which were filled in artistically with numerous scrolls.
He had also a rectangular jewelled metal belt, pro-
jecting both at his chest and at the back, and held in
position by a ribbon on both sides of his body. His
cap was of the finest black horse-hair with wings
fastened at the back. He seemed most proud of his
three white leather satchels, and a writing pad, which
hung down from his left side, by wide white straps.
Into these straps, in time of war, is passed the sword
of supreme command, and by them in time of peace is
his high military rank made known. His sword was a
magnificent old blade, which had been handed down
from his ancestors, and naturally he was very proud of
it. While showing it to me, he related the noble deeds,
which had been accomplished by its aid, his eyes
glistening all the time, but, as he was about to
graphically describe in what way such and such an
ancestor had done away with his foe, I, who am not at
all fond of playing with razor-edged swords, thought it
prudent to interrupt him by placing him in position
for the picture. As I posed him, he did not utter a
word, nor wink an eye. And during the whole of a
sitting of nearly three hours he sat motionless and
speechless, like a statue.

''It is finished," I finally said, and he sprang up in
a childish fashion and came over to look at the work.
His delight was unbounded, and he seized my hand
and shook it for nearly half an hour ; after which,
he suddenly became grave, stared at the canvas,

I70 COREA

and then looked at the back of it. He seemed
horrified.

" What is it ? " I inquired of His Royal Highness.

''You have not put in my jade decoration," said he,
almost in despair.

I had, of course, painted his portrait full face, and
as the Coreans have the strange notion of wearing
their decorations in the shape of a small button of
jade, gold, silver or amber, behind the left ear, these did
not appear thereon. I then tried to remonstrate, saying
that it was impossible in European art to accomplish such
a feat as to show both front and back at once, but, as
he seemed distressed at what to him seemed a defect,
I made him sit again, and compromised the matter
by making another large but rapid sketch of him
from a side point of view, so as to include the de-
coration and the rest rather magnified in size. It is
from this portrait that the illustration is taken ; for I
corrected it as soon as he was out of sight. But with
this second portrait my Corean sitter was more grieved
than ever, for, he remarked, now he could see the
decoration, but not his other eye !

These difficulties having, with the exercise of a good
deal of patience and time, been finally overcome by my
proving to him that one cannot see through things
that are not transparent, we were entertained by
General Le Gendre to an excellent lunch, during
which toasts to the health of everybody under the sun
were drunk in numberless bottles of champagne.
Then he began to wax quite enthusiastic about his
likeness. He called in his officers and followers ; by
this time, of course, he had got into his mourning

MORE ROYAL SITTERS . 171

clothes again, and donned his semi-spherical crane-sur-
mounted hat ; and they all showed great admiration of
the work, although many went round, as he had done, to
look at the backs of the two canvases to find '* the
eye," or the other missing *' button."

He wanted to purchase both pictures there and
then, but I declined, saying that I would be pleased
to present him with a smaller copy when completed.
With this promise he departed happy.

Now it was the turn of his Prime Minister brother.
Prince Min. He also came in full state, with
hundreds of servants and followers, hours before his
time ; was a most restless model ; and, having profited
by his brother's experience, was continually coming
over to examine the painting and reminding me not to
forget this and that and the other thing — generally
what was on the other side of his body, or what from my
point of vantage I could not see. This time, however,
I had chosen a three-quarter face pose, and he expressed
the fullest satisfaction with the result, until, going to
poke his nose into the canvas, which was about 4 feet
by 3, he began to take objections to the shadows.
He insisted that his face was all perfectly white ;
whereas I had made one-half his nose darker in colour
than the other ; also that there was the same defect
under the chin ; his untrained mind being unable to
grasp the fact that the same colour under different
lights becomes lighter or darker in tone. I would
have lost my patience with him if I had had any to
lose, but, remaining silent, I smiled idiotically at his
observations, and did exactly the reverse of what he
wished me to do. The beautifying touches having

172 COREA

been duly added, and the high lights put in where it
seemed proper that they should go, I summoned the
Prince to see the effect, this time building up a barri-
cade of chairs and tables in front of the canvas, in
order that His Royal Highness might be compelled to
conduct his examination of it at the right distance.
This had the desired effect, and, as he now gazed at it,
he found the likeness excellent and to use his words
*'just like a living other-self." It seemed to him a
most inexplicable circumstance that when he got his
nose close to the canvas the picture appeared so
different from what it was when inspected at the right
distance. This sitting also ended with a feast, and
everything passed off in the best of ways.

The result of this amicable intercourse with the Royal
Princes was that calls had to be duly exchanged ac-
cording to the rules of Corean etiquette. Both Princes
came again in their state array to call upon me in
person, a privilege which I was told had never before
been bestowed on any Europeans, not even the Diplo-
matic Agents in the land, after which upon the follow-
ing day I proceeded to return their calls.

The morning was dedicated to the commander-in-
chief. Prince M in- Young- Huan. Since to go on foot,
even though the distance was only a few hundred yards
from Mr. Greathouse's, where I was living, would
have been, according to Corean etiquette, a dis-
grace and an insult, I rode up to his door on horse-
back. His house stood, surrounded by a strong wall
of masonry and with impregnable Iron-banded gates,
in the centre of a large piece of ground. His ensign
flew at one corner of the enclosure, and a detach-

COREAN SOLDIERS 173

ment of picked troops was always at his beck and
call in the immediate neighbourhood. At the door
were sentries, and it was curious to note the way
in which guard is mounted in the land of Cho-sen.

I suppose what I am going to narrate will not
be believed, but it is none the less perfectly true.
The Corean Tommy Atkins mounts guard curled
up in a basket filled with rags and cotton-wool !
Even at the royal palace one sees them. The
Cho-senese warrior is not a giant ; on the contrary,,
he is very small, only a little over five feet, or even
less, so that the round basket which contains him
is made only about four feet in diameter, and three-
and-a-half feet deep. In the inner enclosures of the
royal palace, where two soldiers at a time are on
guard, the baskets are bigger, and the two men
contained in them squat or curl up together like
two birds in a nest. Their rifles are generally left
standing against the wall ; but, occasionally, when
the position to be guarded is a very responsible one,
they are nursed in the basket.

The infantry soldier, seen at his best, is a funny
individual. He thinks he is dressed like a European
soldier, but the reader can imagine the resemblance.
His headgear consists of a felt hat with a large brim,
which he keeps on his head by means of two ribbons tied
under his chin ; for the fashion is, in military circles,
to have a head-gear many times too small for his head.
He wears a pair of calico trousers of a nondescript
colour resembling green and black, under which his
own padded " unmentionables " are concealed, a fact
which of itself is sufficient to make him look a little

174 COREA

baggy. Then there Is his shortish coat with large
sleeves and woollen wristlets ; and a belt, with a
brass buckle, somewhere about five inches above oi
below his waist, according to the amount of dinnei
he has eaten and the purses he has stuffed under hii
coat. Yes, the Coreans are not yet civilised enouo'
to possess pockets, and all that they have to car*
must be stuffed into small leather, cloth, or silk pur:>
with long strings. By ordinary individuals the
purses are fastened inside or outside the coat,
among the military it is strictly forbidden to sh
purses over the coat ; wherefore the regulation methi
is to carry these underneath, tied to the trousei
band. Accordingly, as the number of purses is larg
or smaller, the belt over the jacket is higher or lower
on the waist, the coat sticking out in the most ridiculous
manner.

In the Illustration a Corean warrior of the latest
fashion may be seen in his full uniform. He is an
infantry soldier.

The guns with which these men are armed, are of
all sorts, descriptions and ages, from the old flint-locks
to repeating breech-loaders, and It can easily be
Imagined how difficult It must be to train the troops,
hardly two soldiers having guns of even a similar
make ! A couple of American Army instructors were
employed by the King to coach the soldiery in the
art of foreign warfare, and to teach them how to use
their weapons, but, if I remember rightly, one of the
greatest difficulties they had to contend with was the
utter want of discipline ; for to this the easy-going
Corean Tommy Atkins could on no account be made

I

^.,

AN INFANTRY SOLDIER

DRILL 175

to submit. They are brave enough when it comes
to fighting ; that is, when this is done in their own
way ; and rather than give way an inch they will
die like valiant warriors. It is an impossibility,
however, to make them understand that when a man
is a soldier, in European fashion, he is no more a man,
but a machine.

'* Why not have machines altogether ? " seemed to be
pretty much what they thought when compelled to go
through the, to them, apparently useless and tiresome
drill.

The target practice amused and interested them
much when it took place, which was but seldom, for the
cost of the ammunition was found to be too much for
the authorities ; there being, besides, the further
difficulty of providing different cartridges for the great
variety of rifles used. Thus it was that, though nearly
every infantry soldier possessed a gun, he hardly ever
had a chance of firing it. So rarely was even a round
of blank cartridges fired in the capital, that, when this
event did take place for some purpose or other, the
King invariably sent a message to the few foreign
residents in the town requesting them not to be
frightened or alarmed at the ''report," or to suppose
that a revolution had broken out.

Having examined Tommy Atkins at his best, I sent
in my name to the Prince, and was waiting outside,
when suddenly a great noise was heard inside, the
squeaky locks were unbolted, and gate after gate was
thrown open. The pony had to be left behind at the
gate, and. as I entered the court, among the chin-chins
of the courtiers, I saw the Commander-in-chief waiting

17^ COREA

on the door-step to greet me with outstretched arms.
Honour after honour was bestowed upon me ; which
extreme politeness amazed me, for Foreign Ministers
and Consuls are never received in this way, but are
led into his presence, while he remains comfortably-
seated in his audience chamber.

He took me by the hand, and, leading me into his
reception room, maintained a long and most friendly
conversation with me, taking the most unbounded
interest in all matters pertaining to Western civilisation.
As we were thus busily engaged, ''pop," went the cork
of a champagne bottle with a frightful explosion,
through the paper window, and my interlocutor and
myself had a regular shower bath, as sudden as it was
unexpected. Then out of this healths were drunk, the
servant who had opened the bottle so clumsily, being
promised fifty strokes of the • paddle at the earliest
opportunity ; after which I rose and bade his Royal
Highness good-bye. Again, his politeness was
extreme, and he accompanied me to the door, where,
amidst the chin-chins of his followers and the *' military
honours " of the assembled troops, I re-mounted my
pony and galloped off home.

The same afternoon I paid my visit to the Royali
Prime Minister. This time, being grown conceited, I
suppose, by virtue of the honour received in the course
of the morning, though in part, perhaps, owing to the-
advice of my friend Mr. Greathouse, who insisted upon
my going in grand state, I was carried in the "green
sedan chair," the one, namely, which is only brought
out for officials and princes of the highest rank. I
was also accorded the full complement of four chair^

A ROYAL RECEPTION 177

l)earers, and, accompanied by the Kissos (soldiers) and
servants who were summoned to form my escort, I
gaily started.

*' Oooohhhh ! " my bearers sighed In a chorus, as
they lifted me Into the sedan and sped me along the
crowded streets ; while the soldiers shouted '* Era, Era,
Era, PIcassa, PIcassa ! " thrusting to one side the
astonished natives that stood In the way. As I
approached the palace, I noticed that rows of other
sedan-chairs, but yellow and blue ones, were waiting,
their official occupants anticipating an audience with
the Prince and Prime Minister. All these, however,
had to make way before me, and a soldier having been
despatched in advance to Inform His Royal High-
ness of my coming, the gates were banged open as I
approached them and closed again so soon as I was
within. The cordial reception which I had received
from the other prince, was now repeated ; and Min
Young Chun and his court were actually standing on
the doorstep to receive me.

As I always complied with the habits of the country,
I proceeded to take off my shoes before entering the
house, but the prince, having been Informed some time
or other that such was not the custom In England,
insisted on my abstaining from doing so. I had
already taken off one shoe and was proceeding to
untie the other when, catching me by one arm and his
followers by the other, he dragged me in. You can
imagine how comical and undignified I looked, with
one shoe on and the other off ! Still, I managed to be
equal to the occasion, and held a long pourparler with
the Prince, his courtiers standing around, In a room

178 COREA

which he had furnished in the European style, with
two Chinese chairs and a table !

As we were thus confabulating and I was being
entertained with native wine and sweets, I received a
dreadful blow — that is to say, a moral one. A youth,
a relation of the prince, ran into the room and whis-
pered something in the royal ears, whereupon his
eyes glittered with astonishment and curiosity, and
in a moment there was a general stampede out of
the room on the part of all the courtiers and eunuchs.
A minute after, amidst the deepest silence, was
brought triumphantly into the audience-room and
deposited in the middle of the table : — what do you
think ? — my shoe, that, namely, which I had left
outside !

Such a blow as this I had never experienced in my
life, for the man I was calling upon, you must re-
member, held a position in Corea equal to that of the
Prince of Wales and Lord Rosebery combined, and
if you can imagine being entertained by a dignitary of
this high order with one of your shoes in its right
place and the other on the table, you will agree that
my position was more than comical. It appeared
that this special state of sensation was produced en-
tirely by the fact that my unfortunate foot-gear was
made of patent leather, and that, being almost new, it
shone beautifully. Neither Prince nor Court had
ever seen patent leather before, and much ravishment,
mingled with childish surprise, was on the face of
everybody, when it was whispered round and believed
that the shoe was covered with a glass coating. The
Prince examined it carefully all over, and then passed

PRINCE MIN- YOUNG-CHUN

179

it round to his courtiers, signs of the greatest admira-
tion being expressed at this wonderful object.

I, on my side, took things quite philosophically,
after having recovered from the first shock ; and,
taking off the other
shoe, put it also on
the table, gracefully,
and quite in the
Eastern fashion,
begging the Prince
to accept the pair
as a gift, if he was
agreeable to have
them. Fortunately
for me, however, he
even more gracefully
declined the offer,
though, as long as
our interview lasted,
I noticed that his
eyes were constantly
fixed on them and
that every now and
then he again went
into raptures over
them !

On the occasion of this visit I presented him with a
portrait of himself reproduced on a small scale from
the larger painting which I had made. He seemed
to much appreciate this picture so far as the painting
was concerned, but was much taken aback when he
discovered that it was on the surface of a wooden

.H. PRINCE MIN- YOUNG-CHUN

i8o COREA

panel and could not, therefore, be rolled up. The
Eastern idea is that, to preserve a picture, it should
always be kept rolled, and unrolled as seldom as pos-
sible, that is to say, only on grand solemnities.

When it was time to go, the Prince conducted me
to the door in person, and, having had my shoes put on
and laced by one of his pages, I finally took my leave
of him.

A very curious episode, the direct consequence of
my having portrayed these Princes, occurred some
days afterwards. I was walking in the grounds of
Mr. Greathouse's residence, when I perceived a
number of coolies, headed by two soldiers and a sort
of Maggiordomo, coming towards the house. They
were carrying several baskets, while the Maggiordomo
himself gracefully held a note between two fingers.
As soon as they saw me, the Maggiordomo made a
grand bow, and, delivering the letter into my hands,
said that it came from Prince M in- Young- Huan, the
Commander-in-chief of the Corean army. What
astonished me even more was that he placed at my
feet the different baskets and parcels, announcing that
they were now my property. The letter ran as follows :

'' My dear Mr. Landor, — I send you some Corean
hens, and some eggs, and some persimmons, and
some beef, and some pork, and some nuts, and some
screens, and a leopard skin. I hope that you will
receive them. I thank you very much for the beau-
tiful picture you have done of me, and I send you
this as a remembrance of me. — Your friend,

" Min-YouxNG-Huan."

A GIFT i8i

Greathouse and all the household having been at
once summoned, the gifts were duly displayed and
admired. The eggs numbered four hundred ; then,
there were ten live native hens with lovely feathers,
about forty pounds of beef and pork, and two full bags,
the one of nuts and the other of persimmons. There
was enough to last one a month. The part of the
present which pleased me most, however, was that
containing the split bamboo window screens, which
are only manufactured for, and presented to the King
and royal princes by faithful subjects, and can scarcely
be obtained for love or money under ordinary circum-
stances. The leopard skin, also, was a lovely one of
its kind, with long fur and fat long tail, beautifully
marked, in short an excellent specimen of what is
called, I believe, a snow- leopard. Never before had
I made so good a bargain for any picture of mine, and
I could not but wonder whether I should ever again
have another like it.

I am sorry to say that a large portion of the eggs
were consumed in making egg-noggs, an excellent
American drink, at the concocting of which Great-
house was a master, a sustaining " refresher " which
helped us much in passing away the long dull winter
evenings. The hens, whose plumage we much ad-
mired, were let loose for some days, but they created
such a nuisance with their early crowing, that they
were soon condemned, like most hens, to suffer from an
overstretch of neck. The screens and leopard-skins I
brought back with me to England as a memento of
my portrait-painting experiences in Corea, and these I
still possess.

THE PALACE GROUNDS AND SOUTH GATE FKOM THE NEW PALACE

CHAPTER XII

The royal palace — A royal message — Mounting guard — The bell — The
royal precinct — The Russian villa — An unfinished structure — The
Summer Palace — The King's house — Houses of dignitaries — The
ground and summer pavihon — Colds — The funeral of a Japanese
Minister — Houses of royal relations — The queen — The oldest man
and woman — The King and his throne — Politics and royalty —
Messengers and spies — Kim-ka-chim — Falcons and archery —
Nearly a St. Sebastian— The queen's curiosity — A royal banquet —
The consequences.

I HAD some more amusing experiences on the occasion
of my first visit to the royal palace. The King had
sent me a m^essage one evening saying that any part
of the royal palace and grounds would be opened to
me, if I wished to make observations or take sketches,
and that It would give him much pleasure If I would
go there early the next morning and stay to dinner at
the palace. This Invitation to spend the whole day
at the palace was so tempting that I at once accepted

THE ROYAL PALACE 183

it, and next day, accompanied by one of the officials,
a Mr. S., I proceeded early In the morning to the side
entrance of the enclosure.

The palace and grounds, as we have seen, are
enclosed by a wall of masonry about twenty feet high,
and from a bird's-eye point of vantage the ''com-
pound " has a rectangular shape. There are almost
continuous moats round the outside walls, with stone
bridges with marble parapets over them at all the
entrances. At the corners of the wall d' enceinte are
turrets with loopholes. There soldiers are posted day
and night to mount guard, each set being relieved
from duty at Intervals of two hours during the night,
when the hammer bell in the centre of the palace
grounds sounds Its mournful but decided strokes.
At midnight a big drum Is struck, the harmonic case
of which Is semi-spherical and covered with a donkey-
skin first wetted and made tight. It is by the sound
of this smaller bell within the palace grounds that
the signal is given at sunset to the "Big Bell" to
vibrate through the air those sonorous notes by whicli,
as already stated, all good citizens of the stronger sex
are warned to retire to their respective homes, and
which give the signal for closing the gates of the
town.

When you enter the royal precinct, you run a
considerable amount of risk of losing your way. It is
quite a labyrinth there. The more walls and gates
you go through, the more you wind your way, now
round this building, then round that, the more
obstacles do you seem to see in front of you. There
are sentries at every gate, and at each a pass-word has

i84 COREA

to be given. "When you approach, the infantry-
soldiers, quickly jumping out of the baskets in which,
they were slumbering, seize hold of their rifles, and
either point their bayonets at you or else place their
guns across the door, until the right password is given,
when a comical way of presenting arms follows, and
you are allowed to proceed.

In the back part of the enclosure is a pretty villa in
the Russian style. A few years ago, when European
ideas began to bestir the minds of the King of Cho-sen,
he set his heart upon having a house built in the
Western fashion. No other architect being at hand,
his Majesty commissioned a clever young Russian, a
Mr. Seradin Sabatin, to build him a royal palace after
the fashion of his country. The young Russian,
though not a professional architect, did his very best
to please the King, and with the money he had at his
command, turned out a very solid and well-built little
villa, a la Rtcsse, with calorifires and all other modern
appliances. The house has two storeys, but the
number of rooms is rather limited. The King, how-
ever, seemed much pleased with it, but when it was on
the point of completion, at the instigation of some
foreign diplomat, he commissioned a French architect
from Japan to construct another palace on a much
larger scale at some distance from the Russian build-
ing. The estimates for thib new ground structure
w^ere far too small, and by the time that the foundations
were laid down, the cost already amounted to nearly
three times the sum for which the whole building was
to have been erected. The King, disgusted at what
he thought to be foreign trickery, but what was really

THE SUMMER PALACE 185

merciless robbery on the part of his own officials,
decided to discontinue the new palace, which, in con-
sequence, even now has reached only a height of
about three feet above the level of the ground.

The royal palace may be considered as divided into
two portions, namely, the summer palace and the
winter palace. An official, who came to meet me in
the inner enclosure, informed me that His Majesty
desired that I should begin by inspecting the summer
palace — access to which is not allowed during the
winter time — and that he had given orders for the
gates leading to it, which had been nailed up and
sealed, to await the next warm weather, to be opened
for me. No one besides myself and the official to
guide me was, however, to be allowed to enter. And
so, preceded by a man with a heavy wooden mallet, we
arrived at the gate, which, after a considerable amount
of hammering and pegging away, was at last forced
open. Accompanied by my guide, I straightway
entered, two soldiers being left on guard to prevent
any one else following. As I got within the enclosure,
a pretty sight lay before me. In front was a large
pond, now all frozen, in the centre of which stood a
large square sort of platform of white marble. On
this platform was erected the audience-hall, a colonnade
of the same kind of white marble, supported by which
was another floor of red lacquered wood with wooden
columns, which in their turn upheld the tiled roof with
slightly curled up corners. The part directly under
the roof was beautifully ornamented with fantastic
wood carvings painted yellow, red, green and blue.
Red and white were the colours which predominated.

1 86 COREA

A black tablet, with large gold characters on it, was at
one side.

The throne in the audience-hall was a simple raised
scaffold in the centre of the room, with a screen behind
it, and a staircase of seven or eight steps leading up
to it. Access to this sort of platform-island from the
gate at which we entered was obtained by means of a
marble bridge, spanned across on two strong marble
supports. The staircase leading to the first floor was
at the end of the building, directly opposite* to where
the bridge was ; so that, on coming from the bridge,
we had to gfo throuofh the whole colonnade to reach
it.

Having taken a sketch or two, I retraced my steps
and ao^ain reached the entrance. The instant I was
outside, the gate was again shut and nailed up, w^ooden
bars being put right across it. I was then led to the
inner enclosure. The gate of this was guarded by
about a dozen armed men, I being now in front of the
part of the house which was inhabited by the King
himself. After all, however, his abode is no better
than the houses of the noblemen all over Seoul. It is
as simple as possible in all its details ; in fact, it is
studiously made so. There are no articles of value
in the rooms, except a few screens painted by native
artists ; nor are there any signs marking it out in
particular as the abode of a Sovereign. The houses
of the high court dignitaries are infinitely more gaudy
than the royal palace, for they are decorated externally
in bright red and green colours.

The morning was spent in prowling about the grounds
and in sketching here and there. In front of the King's

HOUSES OF DCGNITARIES

187

house, protected at a short distance by a low wall, is a
second pond, in the middle of which, on a small island,
the King has erected a summer pavilion of octagonal
shape, in which during the warmer months he enjoys
the reviving coolness of the still nights confabulating
on State affairs with
his Ministers and
advisers (not foreign
advisers), a pretty
semi-circular, white
wooden bridge join-
ing, so to speak, the
island to the main-
land ; but, besides
this and the build-
ings provided for
the accommodation
of the Chinese en-
voys, when they
come, I do not
think there is any-
thing in the royal
enclosure worthy of
special notice.

Near the main
entrance of the pa-
lace is a small house for the accommodation of foreign
Ministers, consuls and Chinese customs officials, when,
on New Year's Day and other public occasions, they
are received in audience by the King. The small
room is actually provided with a stove, as several
unfortunate ambassadors have been known to have

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THE SUMMER PAVILION

1 88 COREA

caught dreadful colds through having to remain
exposed to the natural temperature for hours until
it was the King's pleasure to have them admitted
to his presence. Indeed, I believe I am right
when I state that one or two of these notabilities
died in consequence of their experiences in this way.
At all events, during my stay at Seoul, the Japanese
Minister came by his death through a cold which he
contracted by having to stand an inordinate time in
the cold room, in his evening dress, and then walk
minus his overcoat or wrappers, through the intermin-
able paved passage leading to the audience-hall.

Here let me digress. This ambassador's funeral,
was, indeed, a comical sight. I am well aware that
it is bad form to find entertainment among things
pertaining to the dead. However, it was not the
corpse that made the performance in question seem
funny, but those that remained alive, and intended
to honour his remains. Telegrams arrived from
Japan to the effect that the body should be despatched
to his native country ; arrangements were therefore
made by the Japanese indwellers to convey and escort
the body of their representative from the capital to
Chemulpo, a port about twenty-five miles distant.
According to this plan, the loyal Japanese coolies were
to carry the heavy hearse on their backs, while the
King of Corea agreed to despatch four hundred soldiers
of cavalry and infantry by way of escort, all the
foreign residents being also intended to follow the pro-
cession part of the way in their sedan-chairs. So far
so good, and all proceeded, as directed, in good order
until the Mafu ferry was reached. The procession,

FUNERAL OF JAPANESE MINISTER 189

having crossed the river here, at once proceeded to
re-form on the large stretch of sand on the other side.
While, then, the Japanese, who have always been
fond of playing at soldiers, and had brought down to
the river-side with them a couple of field-guns, were
being treated by a Japanese attache, clad in an ex-
aggerated diplomatic uniform covered with gold
braiding, and standing in dancing pumps in rhe sands
that half-buried him, to a recapitulation of the virtues
of the defunct, the coolies were bearing the hearse on
their backs, the Corean cavalry and infantry forming
two lines in good style. There stood the Corean
horsemen, each supported by two men, apparently
unconcerned at the long Japanese rigmarole, of which
they did not understand a word ; there rode as stiff
as statues outside the ranks the officers of Cho-sen,
on their little ponies. All of a sudden, however,
the two field-guns went off, and with the most dis-
astrous effects. Half the cavalrymen tumbled off
their saddles at the unexpected bucking of their
frightened ponies, and the whole band of horsemen
was soon scattered in every direction, while the men
who were carrying the hearse, following the example
of the ponies, gave such a jerk at the sudden explo-
sion, as to nearly drop their burden on the ground.
By-and-by, the commotion subsided ; the proces-
sion got into marching order, and all went well
until the seaport was reached. The better class
Japanese, I may mention, were dressed in stage
uniforms, or in evening dress and tall hats, and that
though the hour was 9 a.m. or soon after.

But let us return to the royal palace. The King

190

COREA

and Queen have numberless relations, but not all of
these live in the royal ''compound." Those that do,
have each a separate small house ; those that do not,
live in the immediate neighbourhood of the palace

enclosure, so as to
be within easy reach
when wanted ; it
being one of the
little failings of the
Corean potentate to
call up his relations
at all hours as well
of the night as of
the day. In fact,
nearly all the work
done by the King,
and nearly all the
interviews which he
grants to his Minis-
ters take place dur-
ing the dark hours,
the principal reason
given for which is
that by this means,
intriofue is pre-

TIIE KIXG ^ -T

vented, and people
are kept in utter ignorance as to what takes place
at Court.

It is a great mistake to suppose that the good-
natured King of Cho-sen, possesses a harem as big
as that of the Sultan of Turkey ; indeed, the contary
is the fact. He is quite satisfied with a single wife,.

f

THE QUEEN 191

that is to say, the Queen. Needless to say, however,
were the custom otherwise, he certainly would not be
the person to object to the institution, for his pre-
decessors undoubtedly indulged in such an ex-
travagance. The real truth is the King of Cho-sen
has married a little lady stronger minded than
himself, and is compelled to keep on his best
behaviour, and see to it that he does not get into
trouble. There are bad tongues in Seoul who say
that the Queen actually rules the King, and therefore,
through him, the country, and that he is more afraid
of Her Gracious Majesty, his wife, than of the very
devil himself For the correctness of this statement I
will not answer.

The Queen is a very good-looking, youngish woman,
younger than the King, and has all her wits about her.
She is said to be much in favour of the emancipation
of the Corean woman, but she has made no actual
effort, that I am aware of, to modify the comparatively
strict rules of their seclusion. She comes of one of
the oldest families in Cho-sen, and by a long way the
noblest, that of the Mins. She treats herself to count-
less Court ladies, varying in number between a score
and three hundred, according to the wants of the Court
at different times.

One of the quaintest and nicest customs in Corea is
the respect shown by the young for the old ; what
better, then, can the reigning people do but set the good
example themselves ? Every year the King and Queen
entertain in the royal palace an old man and an old
woman of over the age of ninety, and no matter from
what class these aged specimens are drawn, they are

192 COREA

always looked after and cared for under their own
supervision and made happy in every way. Every
year a fresh man and woman must be chosen for this
purpose, those of the previous competition being hors
de concottrs. These privileged individuals, if devoid of
means, are well provided with all the necessaries of
life and cash before they are sent home ; and not
infrequently they end by never leaving the royal
palace, or by settling in the house of some prince or
magistrate, by whom they are fed and clothed till the
end of their days. Of course, in many cases it happens
that the oldest man or woman in the town is a noble-
man or a noblewoman ; in which case, after the lapse
of a certain space of time, further enjoyment of the
royal hospitality is politely declined.

Under the last-mentioned circumstances valuable
presents are, however, given them as mementoes of
the stay at the royal palace. This privilege is much
thought of among the Coreans, and a family who has
had a member royally entertained and treated as King's
''brothers" — for I believe that is the name by which
they go — is held in great respect by the community,
and in perfect veneration by their immediate neigh-
bours.

The King dresses just like any other high official
when the country is in mourning — that is to say, he
has a long white garment with baggy sleeves, and the
usual jewelled projecting belt, with the winged skull-
cap ; but when the land is under normal conditions, he
dons a gaudy blue silk gown with dragons woven into
the texture, while over his chest in a circular sort of
plate a larger rampant fire-dragon is embroidered in

THE KING'S THRONE 193

costly silks and gold. When the latter dress is worn
his cap is of similar shape to that worn when in
mourning, only it is made of the finest black, instead
of white, horsehair, stiffened with varnish.

The King's throne is simple but imposing. He sits
upon three carved marble steps, covered with a valuable
embroidered cloth, by the side of which, on two pillars,
are two magnificent bronze vases. Behind him is a
screen of masonry ; for no king when in state must
ever be either seen from behind, or looked down on
by any one standing behind or beside him. Such an
insult and breach of etiquette, especially in the latter
way, would, until quite recently, probably have meant
the loss of the offender's head. Tainted, however,
unfortunately with a craze for Western civilisation, the
King now seldom sits on his marble throne, adorned
with fine carvings of dragons and tigers, preferring to
show himself sitting in a cheap foreign armchair with
his elbow reclining on a wretched little twopence-
halfpenny table covered with a green carpet. He
imagines that he thus resembles a potentate of
Europe ! His son generally sits by his side on these
occasions.

The King's relations take no active part in politics,
as they consider it unfair and beneath them, but the
King, of course, does, and, judging from appearances,
he seems to take a great deal of interest in his country
and his people. He is constantly despatching officials
on secret missions to this or that province, often in
disguise, and at a moment's notice, in order to obtain
reliable information as to the state of those provinces,
and the opinions of the natives regarding the magis-

194 COREA

trates appointed by him. The capital itself, too, con-
tains practically a mass of detectives, who keep spying
on everybody and one another, always ready to report
the evil-doing of others, and often being caught m
flagrante delicto themselves. Very often even nobles
with whom I was well acquainted suddenly disappeared
for days and weeks at a time, no one knowing either
whither they had gone or what they were doing, except
that they had left on a mission from the King. So
little confidence has he in his special envoys that even
when he has despatched one straight from the royal
palace, with strict orders not to return home to tell his
family whither he is gone, he soon after sends a second
disguised messenger to look after the doings of the
first, and see that he has well and faithfully carried out
his orders. By the time the two have returned, some
intrigue or accusations will have probably been insti-
tuted against them, in which case all the thanks they
obtain for obeying His Majesty is either that they are
degraded or that they are exiled to some outlandish
province in the Ever White Mountain district or on
the Russian frontier.

The subject of politics is entrusted entirely to the
nobles. It was my good fortune to get on the most
friendly terms with the greatest politician in Corea, a
man called Kim-Ka-chim, of whom I give a picture,
as he appeared in the horsehair head-gear which he
used to wear indoors. He was a man of remarkable
intelligence, quick-witted, and by far the best diploma-
tist I have ever met — and I have met a good many.
To entrap him was impossible, however hard you
might try. For sharpness and readiness of reply, I

KIM-KA-CHIM

'95

never saw a smarter man. He was at one time
Corean Ambassador to the Mikado's Court, and in a
very short time mastered the Japanese language
to perfection ; while with Chinese he was as familiar
as with his own
tongue. I myself
noticed with what
facility he picked up
English words, and,
having taken it into
his head that he
wished to learn the
English language,
he set about it, and
was able to under-
stand, read, and
speak a little, in a
very short time — in
fact, in a few days.
Not only is he ta-
lented, but also en-
dowed with a won-
derful courage and
independence, which
superiority over the
narrow-minded offi-
cials and intriguers who, for the most part, surround the
King, has often led him into scrapes with His Majesty
of Cho-sen. As he jocosely said to me, it was a marvel
to him that his head was still on his shoulders. It
was too good, and some one else might wish to have
it. He was an ardent reformer and a great admirer

KIM-KA-CHIM

10 COREA

of Western ways. His great ambition was to visit
England and America, of which he had heard a great
deal. Strangely, on the very morning which succeeded
the afternoon on which I had this conversation with
him I received an intimation to the effect that he had,
by order of the King, and for some trivial breach of
etiquette, been sent by way of punishment to one of
the most distant provinces in the kingdom.

The most noteworthy point of the Corean Court
etiquette is probably this, that the King is on no
account allowed to touch any other metals than gold
and silver ; for which reason his drinking-cup is made
of a solid block of gold, while other articles, again, are
of silver.

The native name by which the King calls himself is
Im-gun (king, sovereign). He has a very valuable
library of Chinese manuscripts and printed books in
the palace compound, but those books are hardly ever
opened or looked at nowadays, except by some rare
student of noble rank. Archery and falconry are
occupations which are deemed far more worthy of
attention by the nobility than that of worrying their
heads with attempts to interpret the mysteries of
antiquated Chinese characters.

The falcon is held in much veneration among the
nobler classes, and a special retainer — a falconer — is
usually kept to wait on the precious bird. The latter
is taken out on the man's arm, with his head covered
by a gaudy little hood. This hood is quickly removed
whenever an opportunity arises to send him off after
some unfortunate bird. Then, mounting aloft, and
spreading his wings and whirling round his prey in

NATIONAL PASTIMES 197

concentric circles, he gradually descends in a spiral,
until, at last, dashing down upon his victim, he seizes
it with his pointed claws and brings it to his master.
At other times the falcon is not flown, but only used to
attract, with his mesmeric eyes, birds ; these then, when
within reach, being shot with old flint-lock guns. The
other method is, however, the favourite form of this
amusement, and large sums are often spent by the
young nobles on well-trained birds. Entertainments
are even given to witness the doings of these air-rovers,
and the excitement displayed by the audience on such
occasions is intense, especially when libations have
been previously freely indulged in. Competitions
between the falcons of different owners are frequent,
and much betting takes place under such circum-
stances.

The life of royalty and of the nobility is, taken all
round, a very lazy one. Exercise is considered a
degenerate habit, fit only for people who have to earn
a living ; and, as for manual labour, a Corean nobleman
would much prefer suicide to anything so disgraceful.

Archery is one of the few exceptions to the rule,
and is declared a noble pastime. Princes" and nobles
indulge in it, and even become dexterous at it. The
bows used are very short, about two-and-a-half feet
long, and are kept very tight. The arrows are short
and light, generally made of bamboo, or a light cane,
and a man with a powerful wrist can send an arrow a
considerable distance, and yet hit his target every time.
Nevertheless, the noble s laziness is, as a rule, so great,
that many of this class prefer to see exhibitions of
skill by others, rather than have the trouble of taking

198 CORE A

part in such themselves ; professional archers, in conse-
quence, abounding all over the country, and sometimes
being kept at the expense of their admirers. Both
the Government and private individuals offer large
prizes for skilful archers, who command almost as
much admiration as do the famous espadas in the bull-
fights of Spain. The King, of course, keeps the pick
of these men to himself; they are kept in constant
training and frequently display their skill before His
Majesty and the Court.

I well remember how, one day, through my incau-
tiousness, I very nearly made the end of a St.
Sebastian. It was near the drilling-ground at the
East Gate. I was quietly walking along the earthern
dyke which runs along the little river that crosses
Seoul, when from down below I heard screams of
''Chucomita! Chucomitar ("Wait! wait!") ''KidareT
(**Stop!") I stopped, accordingly, and tried to look
across the open ground, where I saw about a score of
men, nearly two hundred yards away, apparently point-
ing at me. As the setting sun was glaring in my eyes,
I could not well discern what they were doing, and,
thinking that their shouts to me were only by way of
joke, I made a step forward, but hardly had I done so
when a noise like a rocket going past was heard, and
a bunch of arrows became deeply planted in the earth,
at a white circular spot marked on it, only about two
yards in front of me. I counted them. They were
ten in number. My danger, however, was, after all,
practically of no account, for these archers, as I found
out by repeated observation of them, hardly ever miss
their target. Still, even in the case of these Cho-

HOW I SAW THE QUEEN 19^

senese William Tells, it was by no means a pleasant
sensation to hear that bunch of arrows whistling in
front of my nose.

As I was attentively listening to the information
supplied me by the native gentleman who was accom-
panying me through the labyrinthian ways of the
royal palace, young Prince Min appeared on the scene,
and announced that His Majesty wished, through
him, to welcome me to the royal palace, and that he
wished me now to partake of dinner. First, however,
he said, the King would be pleased if I would take a
sketch from a particular spot to which he led me. As
there was nothing specially worth sketching at that
place, I suggested to the young prince that another
spot would be preferable ; but the latter insisted, in
the King's name, that I should paint from there and
left me. I noticed, however, that there was, just
behind this spot, a window, that namely, of the queen's
apartments, which led me at once to fancy that it was
to satisfy her curiosity that I was made to work there ;
accordingly I began the sketch with my back to the
window — for, it must be remembered, to look at the
queen is an offence punishable by death. I had not
been many minutes at work, nevertheless, before I
heard the sliding window gently move. I knew what
was coming, and tried to screen the sketch with my
body, so as to compel the observer, whoever it was, to
lean well out of the window if he wished to see it. A
little way off were hundreds of soldiers, walking or
squatting on the ground, and on the wall of the King's
house and smaller trees the fat and repulsive eunuchs
had perched themselves in order to watch the

»oo COREA

foreigner's doings. All of a sudden there was a
piercing squeak and a quick change of scene. Every
one standing fell flat on his chest, the soldiers to a man
hid their faces in their hands on the ground, and the
clumsy eunuchs dropped down pell-mell from their
perches, like over-ripe fruit coming off the branch of a
tree, and disappeared behind the wall. Then, for a
moment, all was silence ; then there followed another
shriek. It was evidently a command to stand still
until further notice. When I looked for my Corean
companion I found that he, like the rest, was spread
out with his face to the ground.

*' I say, Mr. S." I whispered, touching him with my
foot, '* what does all this mean ? "

*' Please, sir," he murmured, "do not look! do not
speak ! do not turn your head ! or I shall be
beheaded ! "

*' Oh! I do not mind that at all," said I, laughingly,
as my friend was squashing what he had in the shape
of a nose Into the dust.

At this point there was another noise at the window,
as If It were being pushed quite open, and I heard a
whisper. The supreme moment had come, and I was
bold. I turned quickly round. It was just as I had
judged. The queen, with her bright, jet black eyes
and refined features, was there, caught In the act of
thrusting her head out of the window, while several
ladles of different ages were In the background, appa-
rently on the tips of their toes and peeping over Her
Majesty's shoulders. I had just time to see her face ;
for, taken as she was by surprise at such an unbounded
bit of forwardness on my part, she remained perplexed

TERRORS OF DEATH 201

for a second, then quickly withdrew, coming into dread-
ful collision with her ladies-in-waiting, who were at the
moment just moving forward. The sliding window
was hurriedly closed ; there were shrieks of laughter
from inside— apparently they had enjoyed the fun — and
by the sound of a shrill whistle the men who had been
lying ''dead" rose and fled, relieved from their uncom-
fortable position.

'' Do you know," said my Corean friend, as he got
up and shook the dust and dirt off his beautiful silk
gown, quite ignorant of what had happened, ''do you
know that if you had turned your head round and
looked, I would be a dead man to-morrow ? "

'* Why ; who was there ? "

" The queen, of course. Did you not hear the two
shrieks and the whistle ? Those were the signs of her
coming and going."

"If you were to be beheaded, Mr. S., would you be
afraid of death ? "

" Oh, no, sir," he said emphatically. " I am a brave
man, and I come of a family of braves. I would die
like a hero."

"Oh," said I, changing the conversation, "how
pretty the queen looked ! "

" Did you see her ? " said he, horrified.

"Yes, I did."

" Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me ! " he cried in
despair. " You have seen her ! I shall die ! Oh,
poor me, poor me, poor me ! " and he shivered and
shuddered and trembled.

" I thought that you were not afraid of death, Mr.
S.?"

J202 COREA

'' Now that you have seen her, I am ! " he mumbled
pitifully.

'' All right, Mr. S. Do not be afraid, I shall take
all the blame on myself, and you will not be punished,
I promise you."

At this point Prince Min came to fetch me, and I
told him the whole story, relieving Mr. S. of all
responsibility for my cheeky action, after which, having
made sure that he would not be punished, we proceeded
to the feast. The hour, be it noted, was about noon.
As we were passing along the wall of the King's apart-
ment. His Majesty peeped over the wall and smiled
most graciously to me. Shortly after he sent a
messenger to the dining-room to express regret that
he was not able to entertain me himself owing to
pressing State affairs.

For the dinner a long table had been arranged in
the European style, at the head of which sat Prince
Min, acting in the place of the King. The forks and
spoons were of tin, and the knives had apparently been
used, for they were by no means clean. Rust, there-
fore, reigned supreme. The glasses and tumblers
were of the thickest and commonest kind, but they
had cost His Majesty a fortune all the same.

We all sat down gaily, Mr. S. having recovered his
spirits on being assured that he would not be punished,
and the feast began. It would be easier for me to tell
you w^hat was not on that table than what was. All
the products of the country seemed to have been
cooked and brought before me, including meats, fish,
honey, sweets, vegetables and sauces, of which, mind
you, one had to eat '' mountains," piled on our plates.

A PLENTIFUL FEAST 203

Young pigs, in the puppy state, were also there, and
were much appreciated by my princely entertainers ;
but, when I had got only half through, not being pro-
vided with an ever-expanding digestive apparatus, like
my friends of Cho-sen, I really felt as if I was going
to suffocate. It is a great insult to refuse what is
offered you at table, and a greater insult, too, and
gross breach of good manners, not to eat all that is on
your plate ; it can be easily imagined, then, how I was
situated after having swallowed large quantities of beef,
potatoes, barley, millet, not to mention about half a
bushel of beans. Nevertheless, I was further treated
to lily-bulbs and radishes dipped in the vilest of sauces,
besides a large portion of a puppy-pig roasted, and
fruit in profusion, foreign and native wines flowing
freely. The dinner began at noon and was not
brought to a legitimate close until the happy hour of

7 P.M.

Talk of suffering ! To those who appreciate the
pleasure of eating, let me recommend a royal Corean
dinner ! No pen can describe the agonies I endured
as I was carried home in the green sedan. Every jerk
that the bearers gave made me feel as if I had
swallowed a cannon-ball, which was moving mercilessly
from one side of my body to the other. I could not
help expecting an explosion at any moment, or, at all
events, a rent in my overtight skin ! On my way
home I swore that as long as I lived I would never
touch another mouthful of food, so disgusted was I
with things eatable ; but — needless to say, I have
since many times broken my word.

THE EXAMINATION GROUNDS

CHAPTER XIII

Students — Culture — Examination ground — The three degrees — The
alphabet — Chinese characters — Schools — Astronomers — Diplomas
— Students abroad — Adoption of Western ways — Quick perception
— The letter "f " — A comical mistake — Magistrates and education
— Rooted superstition — Another haunted palace — Tigers — A con-
venient custom.

At the beginning of the New Year, and soon after the
festivities are over, the streets of Seoul are crowded
with students who come up to town for their examina-
tions. Dozens of them, generally noisy and boisterous,
are to be seen arm in arm, parading the principal
streets, and apparently always eating something or
other. Study and eating seem to go together in Cho-
sen. They wear peculiar gauze caps like bakers'
paper bags, and a large double apron, the latter
hanging down front and back, and being tied above
the waist with a ribbon. A large piece of rolled up
paper is carried in the hand, and much excitement
seems to reign among them. By students, one must

COREAN STUDENTS 205:

not imagine only young men, for many among them
are above the thirties, and some are even old men.

At certain hours processions of them pass along the
royal street, then round the palace wall, and finally
enter the examination grounds, situated immediately
behind the royal palace. This is a large open ground,
on one side of which is a low building containing quite
a large number of small cells, where the candidates are
examined. The examination day is one of the sights
of Seoul. It is more like a country fair than an
exhibition of literary skill. The noise is something
appalling. On the grounds, thousands of candidates,
accompanied by their parents and friends, squat in
groups, drinking, eating and gambling. Here is a
group of them drinking each other's health ; there on
blankets a few are lying flat on their backs basking
in the sun, and waiting for their turn to be called up
before the examiners. Huge red and yellow umbrellas
are planted in the ground by enterprising merchants,
who sell sweets, a kind of pulled toffy being one of
their specialities ; while others, at raised prices, dispose
of examination caps, ink, paper and aprons to those
who have come unprovided. Astrologers, too, drive
a roaring trade on such days, for the greatest reliance
is placed on their prophecies by both parents and
students, and much money is spent by the latter, there-
fore, in obtaining the opinion of these impostors. In
many a case, the prophecy given has been known
to make the happiness — temporarily, of course — of
the bashful young student ; and in many a case,
also, by this means fresh vigour has been instilled
into a nervous man, so that, being convinced that he

2o6 COREA

is to be successful, he perseveres and very often does
succeed.

One of these examinations, the highest of all, is a
real landmark in a man's career. If the student is
successful, he is first employed in some lower official
capacity either by the Government, the palace author-
ities or some of the magistrates. If he is plucked,
then he can try again the following year. Some try
year after year without success, in the hope of being
permitted to earn an honest living at the nation's
expense, and grow old under the heavy study of
ancient Chinese literature.

The King in person assists at the oral examinations
of the upper degree. Those of the two lower degrees
are superintended by princes who sit with the ex-
aminers, and report to His Majesty on the successes of
the different candidates.

It is generally the sons of the nobles and the upper
classes all over the kingdom who are put up for these
examinations ; those of the lower spheres are content
with a smattering of arithmetic and a general know-
ledge of the alphabet, and of the proper method of
holding the writing brush, sometimes adding to these
accomplishments an acquaintance with the more useful
of the Chinese characters.

The Corean alphabet is remarkable for the way in
which it represents the various sounds. That this is
the case, the reader will be able to judge by the table
given opposite. The aim of the inventors, in only using
straight lines and circles, has evidently been to simplify
the writing of the characters to the highest possible
degree.

THE ALPHABET

207

THE COREAN ALPHABET

Vowels.

Consonants.

o\

= a

0

= ng

0

= a
= e
= ye

6

CD

= h

= k (aspirated)

= ni
= n

0^

= eu

E

/ yjr ( pronounced N

— ^i *^ \ almost the same/

ol

= i

u

= p

2.

= 0

IL

= p (aspirated)

J2.
0.

0

= yo
= ou
= you

r-

E

= s,t

= t{d)

= t (aspirated)
= ch

X

=■ ch (aspirated)

DiPHT

HONGS.

OH

= at

s^

= oa

^1

= m

on

= oai

oil

= ei

^1

= oue

oil

= yei

£^

— ouei

01

= ^^^z

$1

= oui

2o8 COREA

It will be at once noticed that an extra dot is used
only in the case of the vowel e and the diphthong one ;
nothing but straight lines and circles being employed
in the other cases. The pronunciation of the conso-
nants is dental in /, r, t, and n ; gMttural in k and
k (aspirated) ; palatal in ch, ch (aspirated) and s ; and
from the larynx in h and 7ig when at the end of a
word.

The State documents and all the official correspon-
dence are written in Chinese characters, and hardly at
all in the native alphabet, an exception being occasion-
ally admitted in the case of a difficult character, when
the meaning is written with the Corean letters, side by
side with the Chinese form. . The Corean alphabet
is rather despised by the male '' blue stockings " of
Cho-sen, and is considered as fit only for poor people,
children and women ; in short, those whose brains are
unable to undergo the strain of mastering, and, what
is more, of remembering, the meaning of the many
thousands of Chinese characters. Not only that, but
the spoken language itself is considered inadequate
to express in poetic and graceful style the deep
thoughts which may pass through the Corean brains ;
and, certainly, if these thoughts have to be put down
on paper this is never done in the native characters.
The result is, naturally, that there is hardly any litera-
ture in the language of Cho-sen. Even the historical
records of the land of the Morning Calm are written in
Chinese.

The great influence of the Chinese over the Corean
literary mind is also shown in the fact that most of the
principles and proverbs of Cho-sen have been borrowed

EDUCATION 209

from their pig-tailed friends across the Yalu River.
The same may be said of numberless words in the
Corean language which are merely corruptions or
mispronounced Chinese words. The study of Chinese
involves a great deal of labour and patience on the
part of the Corean students, and from a very tender
age they are made to work hard at learning the
characters by heart, singing them out in chorus, in
a monotonous tone, one after the other for hours at a
time.

The schools are mostly supported by the Govern-
ment. In them great attention is given to etiquette
and Chinese classics, to philosophic and poetic ideas,
but very little importance is attached to mathematics
or science, except by those few who take up the study
of the stars as an ideal rather than scientific occupa-
tion. These astronomers might be more correctly
termed magicians, for with the stars they invariably
•connect the fate and fortune of king and people ;
which fact will also explain why it is that in their
practice of astronomy mathematics are really of very
little use.

In the written essays for the examinations, what is
generally aimed at by the candidates is a high stan-
dard of noble ideas which they try to express in the
most refined style. The authors of the most admired
•essays receive the personal congratulations of the King
and examiners, followed by a feast given by their
parents and friends. The diplomas of successful
candidates are not only signed by the King, but have
also his great seal affixed to them.

I was told that the examinations of the present day

2IO COREA

are a mere sham, and that it is not by knowledge or
high achievements, in literary or other matters, that
the much-coveted degree is now obtained, but by the
simpler system of bribery. Men of real genius are,
I was informed further, sometimes sent back in
despair year after year, while pigheaded sons of nobles
and wealthy people generally pass with honours, and
are never or very seldom plucked.

Education, as a whole, is up to a very limited point
pretty generally spread all over the Corean realm, but
of thorough education there is very little. In former
times, students showing unusual ability were sent by
the Government to the University of Nanking, to be
followed up by Pekin, but this custom was abandoned
until a few years ago, w^hen it was in a measure revived
by the sending of two noblemen, first to Shanghai and
then to America, to learn and profit by Western
studies. These seem to have shown themselves
remarkably intelligent ; in fact, exceeded all expec-
tation ; for one of them forged a cheque before leaving
the Asiatic continent, and was forbidden to return to
his country. He is not likely to do so now, for he is
said to have been murdered — only quite lately. The
other, however, cannot be accused of anything of that
sort ; indeed, he distinguished himself during the three
years spent in America by learning English (as spoken
in the States) to perfection, besides mastering mathe-
matics, chemistry and other sciences, perfectly new to
him, in a way that would have done credit to many a
Western student. In the same short space of time he
also succeeded in a marvellous way in shaking off the
thick coating of his native superstition and in assuming

SKILL AT LANGUAGES 211

our most Western ways as exhibited across the
Atlantic. If anything, he became more American
than the Americans themselves. What astonished me
more, though, was how quickly, having returned from
his journey, he discarded his civilised ways and again
dropped into his old groove.

There is not the least doubt that, though to the casual
observer the majority of Coreans appear depressed
and unintelligent, they are, as a matter of fact, far from
stupid. I have met people in the land of Cho-sen,
whose cleverness would have been conspicuous in any
country, Western or otherwise When they set their
mind to learn something they never cease till their
object is attained, and I can vouch for their quick
comprehension, even of matters of which they have
never before heard. Languages seem to come easy to
them, and their pronunciation of foreign tongues is
infinitely better than that of their neighbours, the
Chinese and the Japanese. The only stumbling block
is the letter '' f^' which they pronounce as a ''/." I
can give an instance of a Mr. Chang, the son of a
noble, who was appointed by the king to be official
interpreter to Mr. C. R. Greathouse. In less than two
months, this youth of nineteen mastered enough
English to enable him both to understand it and con-
verse in it. I have seen him learn by heart out of a
dictionary as many as two hundred English words in a
day, and what is more, remember every one of them,
including the spelling. Only once did I hear him
make a comical mistake. He had not quite grasped
the meaning of the word " twin" ; for, in answer to a
question I put to him, '' Yes, sir," said he, boisterously,

212 COREA

proud apparently of the command he had attained
over his latest language, "Yes, sir, I have a twin
brother who is three years older than myself."

The Corean magistrates think that to over-educate
the lower classes is a mistake, which must end in
great unhappiness.

''If you are educated like a gentleman, you must be
able to live like a gentleman," wisely said a Corean noble
to me. ''If you acquire an education which you
cannot live up to, you are only made wretched, and
your education makes you feel all the more keenly the
miseries of human life. Besides, with very few
exceptions, as one is born an artist, or a poet, one has
to be born a gentleman to be one. All the education
in the world may make you a nice man, but not a
noble in the strict sense of the word."

Partly, in consequence of habits of thought like
this, and partly, because it answers to leave the public
in ignorance, superstition, which is one of the great
evils in the country, is rather encouraged. Not alone
the lower classes, but the whole people, including
nobles and the King himself, suffer by it. It is a
remarkable fact, that, a people who in many ways are
extremely open-minded, and more philosophic than the
general run of human beings, can allow themselves to
be hampered in this way by such absurd notions as
spirits and their evil ways.

A royal palace, different to, but not very far from,
the one described in the previous chapter, was
abandoned not very long ago for the simple reason
that it was haunted. Thus, there are no less than two
palaces in the capital, that have been built at great

HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE

21''

expense, but deserted in order to evade the visits
of those most tiresome impalpable individuals, '' the
Ghosts." One of these haunted abodes we have
inspected, with its tumble-down buildings ; the other I
will now describe.

The buildings comprising this ,palace are still in a
very excellent state of preservation, and, being erected
on hilly ground, form a very picturesque ensemble. The

THE HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE

different houses are of red lacquered wood, with
verandahs on the upper floors. The illustration shows
a front view of one of the principal buildings, situated
on the summit of the hill. At the foot of this hill, by
a winding path and steps, a picturesque little gate and
another house is reached. A little pond with water-
plants in it, frozen in the midst of the thick ice, com-
pletes this haunted spot. The largest of all the
structures is the audience-hall, richly and grandly
decorated inside with wooden carvings, painted red.

214 COREA

white, blue and yellow. The curled -up roofs are sur-
mounted at each corner with curious representations of
lucky emblems, among which the tiger has a leading
place.

Talking of tigers, I may as well speak of a strange
custom prevailing in Corea. The country, as I have
already pointed out, is full of these brutes, which,
besides being of enormous size, are said to be very
fierce and fond of human flesh. Even the walls of the
town are no protection against them. Not un-
frequently they make a nocturnal excursion through
the streets, leaving again early in the morning with a
farewell bound from the rampart, but carrying off
inside their carcases some unlucky individual in a state
of pulp.

The Coreans may, therefore, be forgiven if, besides
showing almost religious veneration for their feline
friend — who reciprocates this in his own way —they
have also the utmost terror of him. Whenever I
went for long walks outside the town with Coreans, I
noticed that when on the narrow paths I was in-
variably left to bring up the rear, although I was a
quicker walker than they were. If left behind they
would at once run on in front of me again, and
never could I get any one to be last man. This
conduct, sufficiently remarkable, has the following ex-
planation.

It is the belief of the natives, that when a tiger is
suddenly encountered he always attacks and makes a
meal of the last person in the row ; for which reason,
they always deem it advisable, when they have a
foreigner in their company, to let him have that

THE LAST MAN 215

privilege. I, for my part, of course, did not regard
the matter in the same light, and generally took
pretty good care to retain a middle position in the
procession, when out on a country prowl, greatly to
the distress and uneasiness of my white-robed guar-
dian angels.

CHAPTER XIV

Religion — Buddhism — Bonzes — Their power— Shamanism — Spirits —
Spirits of the mountain — Stone heaps — Sacred trees — Seized by
the spirits — Safe-guard against them — The wind — Sorcerers and
sorceresses — Exorcisms — Monasteries — Temples — Buddha —
Monks — Their customs and clothing — Nuns — Their garments —
Religious ceremonies — The tooth-stone.

The question of religion is always a difficult one to
settle, for — no matter where one goes — there are
people who are religious and people who are not.

The generality of people in Corea are not religious,,
though in former days, especially in the Korai-an era,
between the tenth and fourteenth centuries, they seem
to have been ardent Buddhists. Indeed, Buddhism as a
religion seems to have got a strong hold in Cho-sen
during the many Chinese invasions ; it only passed
over Cho-sen, however, like a huge cloud, to vanish
again, though leaving here and there traces of the
power it once exercised.

The bonzes (priests) had at one time so much
authority all over the country as to actually rule the
King himself; and, as the reverend gentlemen were
ready with the sword as well as with their bead prayer-
rosaries, they became an unparalleled nuisance and
dangerous to the constitution. After having, by their
great power and capacity for agitation, roused the

BUDDHISM 217

country to revolution and internal disputes, it was
found necessary to put them down, and from that time
forward, they became mere nonentities. The chief in-
strument which brought this about was a law, still in
existence, by which no religion is, under any circum-
stances, tolerated or allowed within the walls of Corean
cities, and all bonzes are forbidden to enter the gates
of any city under pain of losing their heads.

The influence which the priests had gained over
the Court having been thus suddenly destroyed, and
the offenders against the law in question having been
most severely dealt with. Buddhism, so far as Corea
was concerned, received its death blow. This was so :
first, because, although it had prevailed without
restraint for nearly five centuries, many of the primitive
old superstitions were still deeply rooted in the minds
of the Coreans, and because, with the fall of the priests,
these sprang up again bolder than ever ; then, too,
because the law above-mentioned was so strictly en-
forced that many temples and monasteries had to be
closed owing to lack of sufficient funds, the number of
their supporters having become infinitesimal in a
comparatively short time.

Shamanism is at the present time the popular
religion, if indeed there is any that can be so desig-
nated. The primitive worship of nature appears to
be quite sufficient for the religious aspirations of the
Corean native, and with his imaginative brain he has
peopled the earth with evil and good spirits, as well as
giving them to the elements, the sky, and the morning
star. To these spirits he offers sacrifices, when
somebody in his family dies, or when any great event

2i8 COREA

takes place ; and to be on good terms with these in-
visible rulers of his fate is deemed necessary, even by-
well-educated people who should know better.

There are spirits for everything in Cho-sen. The
air is alive with them, and there are people who will
actually swear that they have come in contact with
them. Diseases of all sorts, particularly paralysis, are
invariably ascribed to the possession of the human
frame by one of these unwholesome visitors, and when
a death occurs, to what else can it be due than to their
evil and invisible operation ? To old age, to diseases
natural and zymotic, the expiration of life is never
ascribed ; these everlasting evil spirits have to answer
for it all.

The most prominent spirits are probably those of
the mountain. According to Corean accounts, the
mountains and hills seem to be full of these heroes
of witch- craft : this being probably due to the fact
that the dead are buried on hilly ground and that
their souls, therefore, are most likely to make their
nocturnal hoverings in such neighbourhoods, until a
fresh career is found for them in the body of some
animal. They are not ^-ods of the mountains, as
some writers have been pleased to call them, for, so
far as I could judge, the natives are more terror-
stricken when thinking about them than inclined to
worship them. No Corean, of sound mind and body,
however brave and fearless of death in battle, can ever
be induced to walk out at night on the mountain-slopes ;
and even in the day-time a great deal of uneasiness
is manifested by the natives should they have to climb
a hill. On such occasions they provide themselves

BELIEF IN SPIRITS 219

with armfuls of stones, which, as they go up, they
throw violently one by one at these imaginary beings,
thus showing them that their company is neither
required nor wished for, and that they had better
keep aloof. If this simple precaution is used, the
obliging and scorned spirits seldom interfere with
the traveller's welfare. The hills close to the towns
are simply covered with heaps of stones, so thrown at
these mythical dwellers of the mountains. Such is
the effect produced by terror on the people's imagina-
tion, that frequently in their imagination they feel the
actual touch of the spirits. Probably, if there is any
physical touch in those cases, it is only a leaf or a
twig falling from a tree. Still, when that occurs a
regular fight ensues, the men continuing to fire stones
at their imaginary foes, until in their mental vision
they see them disappear and fade away in the air.
Others not so brave prefer an accelerated retreat,
only stopping now and again to throw a stone at the
pursuers.

From their very childhood the Coreans are imbued
with horrid and fantastic accounts of the doings of
these spirits, and so vividly are the usual habits of
these ghostly creatures depicted to them, that they
cannot but remain for ever indelibly impressed on
their minds.

Another very common sight, besides the stone-
heaps, are the sacred trees. These are to be found
everywhere, but especially on hilly ground. Their
branches are literally covered with rags, bits of glass,
and other offerings given by the superstitious and
frightened passers-by, lest these spirits might take

220 COREA

offence at not being noticed. Women and men when
compelled to travel on the hills go well provided with
these rags, and when — for the sacred trees are very
numerous — supplies run short, many a woman has
been known to tear off a bit of her silk gown, and
attach it to a branch of the tree among the other
donations.

A coolie, who was carrying my paint-box one even-
ing, when I was returning home from the hills, was
simply terrified at the prospect of being seized by the
spirits. He kept his mouth tightly closed, and stoutly
declined to open it, for fear the spirits should get into
him by that passage ; and when, with the cold end of
my stick, I purposely touched the back of his neck — un-
perceived by him, of course — he fled frightened out of
his life, supposing it to have been a ghost. He met me
again on the high road in the plain, about half a mile
farther on, and explained his conduct with the very
truthful excuse, that " a spirit had seized him by the
throat and shaken him violently, meaning at all costs
to enter his mouth, and that it was to escape serious
injury that he had fled ! " When I told him that it
was I who had touched him with the end of my stick,
he sarcastically smiled, as if he knew better.

** No, sir," said he ; ''honestly, I saw with my own
eyes the spirit that assaulted me ! "

The forms given to these spirits vary much, accord-
ing to the amount of imagination and descriptive
power of the persons who describe them. Generally,
however, they assume the forms either of repulsively
hideous human beings, or else of snakes. The best
safeguard against them, according to Corean notions,

SORCERERS AND SORCERESSES 221

is music, or rather, I should say, noise. When
possessed with a spirit, a diabolical row of drums,
voices, bells and rattles combined is set agoing to
make him depart without delay ; while, on the other
hand, little bits of dangling glass, tied to strings, small
sweet-toned bells and cymbals, hanging in a bunch
from the corners of the roof or in front of the windows
and door, often by means of their tinkling — a sound
not dissimilar to that of an ^olian harp — attract to
the house the friendly spirits of good fortune
and prosperity. The latter are always heartily
welcomed.

The very wind itself is supposed to be the breath-
ing of a god-spirit with extra powerful lungs ; and rain,
lightning, war, thirst, food and so on, each possesses a
special deity, who, if not invoked at the rigfit moment,
and in the right manner, may, when least expected,
have his revenge against you.

The spirits of Cho-sen are very sensitive, and insist
on being taken into notice. Through astrologers,
sorcerers and sorceresses they convey messages and
threats to this person and to that — generally the richer
people — whose errors may always be rectified or
atoned for by paying a round sum down to these go-
betweens, who are quite ready to assume the responsi-
bility of guaranteeing a peaceful settlement of matters.
There are regular establishments kept by these
sorcerers and sorceresses — as a rule, outside the city
walls — where witchcraft is practised with impunity in
all its forms. These establishments are much patronised
both by the poor and by the man of noble rank ; and
amidst the most excruciating howling, clapping of

222 COREA

hands, violent beating of drums and other exorcisms,
illnesses are got rid of, pains and troubles softened,
calamities prevented and children procured for sterile
people. The Government Itself does not consider
these houses as forming part of the religious gang, and
one or two of them may be found even in Seoul within
the wall. One, an extremely noisy house and mostly
patronised by women, is situated not far from the
West Gate along the wall. There are also one or two
on the slope of Mount Nanzam.

The exorcisms, with the exception of a few particular
ones, are, for the most part, performed in the open air,
on a level space in front of the house. A circle is
formed by the various claimants, in the centre of which
a woman, apparently in a trance, squats on her heels.
The more money that is paid in, the greater the noise
that takes place, and the longer does the performance
last. Every now and then the woman in the centre
will get up, and, rushing to some other female In the
circle, will tap her furiously on her back and shake her,
saying that she has an evil spirit In her which refuses
to come out. She will also hint that possibly by pay-
ing an extra sum, and by means of special exorcisms,
it may be Induced to leave. What with the shaking,
the tapping, the clapping, the drums and the howls,
the wretched "spotted" woman really begins to feel
that she has something In her, and, possessed — not by
the spirits — but by the most awful fright, she disburses
the extra money required, after which the spirit ulti-
mately departs.

These witches and sorceresses are even more
numerous than their male equivalents. They are

MONASTERIES 223

recruited from the riff-raff of the towns, and are
generally people well-informed on the state, condition,
and doings of everybody. Acting on this previous
knowledge, they can often tell your past to perfection,
and in many cases they predict future events — which
their judgment informs them are not unlikely to occur.
When ignorant, they work pretty much on the same
lines as the Oracle of Delphi ; they give an answer
that may be taken as you please. Then, if things do
not occur in the way they predicted, they simply make
it an excuse for extorting more money out of their
victim under the plea that he has incurred the dis-
pleasure of the spirits, and that serious evil will come
upon him if he does not comply with their request.
The money obtained is generally spent in orgies during
the night. These sorceresses and male magicians are
usually unscrupulous and immoral, and are often
implicated, not only in the intrigues of the noblest,
families, but also in murders and other hideous
crimes.

Outside the towns, again, there are, only a grade
higher than these, the Buddhist monasteries and nun-
neries. Within a few miles of Seoul, several of these
are to be found. One thing that may be said for these
institutions is that they are invariably built on lovely
spots. Generally on the top, or high on the slopes of
a mountain, they form not only homes for the religious,
but fortified and impregnable castles. The monas-
teries are seldom very large, and, as a general rule,
hold respectively only about two dozen monks.

There is a small temple on a platform, with a figure
of Pul or Buddha in the centre, two brass candlesticks.

224 COREA

by his side, and a small Incense burner at his feet.
'*Joss sticks" are constantly burned before him and
fill the temple with scent and haze. Buddha, as found
in Corea, has generally a sitting and cross-legged
posture ; the feet are twisted with the soles upwards,
and, while the right arm hangs down, the left is folded,
the forearm projecting, and the hand holding a bronze
ball. By his side, generally on the left, is a small

THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE

tablet in a frame of elaborate wood-carvinor. At the
foot of the statue is a large collection box for the dona-
tions of the worshippers. The background is usually
plain, or painted with innumerable figures of the minor
gods, some with young white faces and good-natured
expressions, probably the gods of confidence ; others
with rugged old faces and shaggy white eyebrows,
moustache and hair, undoubtedly the various forms of
the deity of wisdom. Then there is one with squinting
ferocious eyes, black eyebrows and beard, dressed in a

BUDDHA 225

helmet and fighting robe, who, needless to remark, is
the god of war. Others are the gods of justice, defer-
ence, and affection ; the last being impersonated by two
female figures who usually stand on each side of the
Buddha. One curious thing about the Buddha is that
the head is generally very large in proportion to the
body, and that the ears are enormous for the size of
the head. In the East it is considered lucky to
possess large ears, but these Buddhas are often repre-
sented with their organs of hearing as long as the
whole height of the head. In Europe such a thing
would hardly be considered a compliment ! The hair
of the Buddha is carefully plastered down on his fore-
head, and is adorned with a jewel in the centre. The
eyes are almost straight, like the eyes of Europeans,
instead of being slanting, like those of the Mongolians,
while the eyebrows, finely painted with a small brush,
describe a beautiful semi-circular arch. The expression
of the face, as one looks at it, is in most cases that of
nobility and sleepiness.

Out of the West Gate, and a good way past the
Pekin Pass, a very interesting day can be spent in
visiting a monastery which is to be found there among
the hills. Previous to reaching it, a small tomb, that,
namely, of the King's mother, is passed. On each
flank is a stone figure, while on three sides a wall shuts
in the mound of earth under which the body lies. On
the right is a tablet to the memory of the deceased,
and in front of the mound is placed a well-polished
stone, also a small urn.

High up, after following a zig-zag mountain path,
we come to the monastery.

226 COREA

Monasteries as a rule consist of the temple and the
mud huts and houses of the monks and novices. The
temple always stands apart. Of the temples which I
saw, none were very rich in interesting works of art or
in excellent decoration, like the temples of Japan.
The only parts decorated outside in the Corean houses
of worship are immediately under the roof and above
the doors, where elaborate, though roughly executed
wood-carvings are painted over in red, white, green
and yellow, in their crudest tones. Over each of the
columns supporting the temple, projects a board with
two enormous curved teeth, like the tusks of an
elephant, and over the principal door of the temple is
a black tablet, on which the name of the temple is
written in gold Chinese characters. At each of the
columns, both of the temple and of the common part
of the dwellings, hang long wooden panels on which
are written the names of supporters and donors with
accompanying words of high praise.

The doors of the temples are of lattice- work and are
made up of four different parts, folding and opening
on hinges. On some occasions, when the concours
of the public is too great to be accommodated within the
building itself, the whole of the front and sides of the
temple are thrown open. Inside the lattice- work
above mentioned tissue-paper is placed, to protect
the religious winter visitors from the cold.

Inside, the temples are extremely simple. With the
exception of the statue of Buddha and the various
representations of minor deities that we have already
mentioned, there is little else to be seen. The prayer-
books, certainly, are interesting ; their leaves are

BONZES 227

joined together so as to form a long strip of paper
folded into pages, but not sewn, nor fastened any-
where except at the two ends, to which two wooden
panels are attached, and, by one side of the book
being kept higher than the other, the leaves unfold, so
to speak, automatically.

In one temple of very small dimensions, perched up
among the rocks near the South Gate of Seoul, are to
be seen hundreds of little images in costumes of
warriors, mandarins and princes, all crammed together
in the most unmerciful manner. This temple goes
by the name of the '' The Five-hundred Images."
Adjoining it is a quaint little monastery and a weird
cavern (see chap, xx., *' A Trip to Poo Kan").

As to the monasteries themselves, these, though
adjoining the temples, are built apart from them.
Their lower portions are, like all Corean houses, of
stone and mud, while the upper parts are entirely of
mud. The roof is tiled on the main portion of the
building, while over the kitchen and quarters for the
novices it is generally only thatched.

More interesting to me than the temples and build-
ings were the bonzes, who are, I may as well say at
once, a very depraved lot. It is a strange fact in nature
that the vicious are often more interesting than the
virtuous. So it is with the Corean bonzes. Here
you have a body of men, shrewd, it is true, yet wicked
(not to say more) and entirely without conscience,
whose only aim is to make money at the expense of
weak-minded believers. Morals they have none ;
if it were possible, one might say even less than none.
They lead a lazy and vicious life in these monasteries,

228

COREA

gambling among themselves and spending much time
in orgies. They feed themselves well at the expense
of the charitable, and a great deal of their energy is
expended in blackmailing rich persons, not of course
openly, but through agents as disreputable as them-
selves. Whenever there are riots or revolutions in
progress, their origin can Invariably be traced to the
monasteries. In other respects, excepting these few
little faults, they seemed charming people. Their

BUDDHIST BONZES AND TEMPLE

dress consists of a long white padded gown with
baggy sleeves ; the usual huge trousers and short coat
underneath ; and a rosary of largeish beads round their
necks. When praying, the rosary is held in the hands,
and each bead counts for one prayer. A larger bead
in the rosary is the starting-point. When petitions
are being offered to Buddha on behalf of third parties
— for rarely do they, if ever, pray on behalf of themselves
— there is a scale of prices varying according to the

BONZES 229

wealth of the petitioners ; so many prayers are worth
so much cash ; in other words, one buys them as one
would rice or fruit. The bonzes shave their heads as
clean as billiard balls ; while the novices content
themselves with cutting their hair extremely short,
leaving it, probably, not longer than one-eighth of an
inch. There are many different degrees of bonzes.
We have, for example, the begging bonzes, who wear
large conical hats of plaited split bamboos, or else hats
smaller still and also cone-shaped but made of thick
dried grass. They travel all over the district, and
sometimes even to distant provinces, collecting funds
and information from the people. Sometimes they
impose their company on some well-to-do person, who,
owing to the Corean etiquette in the matter of hospi-
tality, has to provide them with food, money and
promises of constant contributions before he can get
rid of them. Then there are the stay-at-home bonzes,
well-fattened and easy-going, who cover their heads
with round, horse-hair, stiffened black caps of the
exact shape of those familiar articles in French and
Italian pastry-cook shops, used over the different plates
to prevent flies from eating the sweets. Lastly, we
have the military priests, who follow the army to offer
up prayers when at war and during battles, and who
don hats of the ordinary shape worn by every one else
except that they have round crowns instead of almost
cylindrical ones. These alone are occasionally allowed
to enter the towns. Paper sandals are the foot-gear
chiefly in use among them.

Whenever I visited a monastery, I found the monks
most civil and hospitable, although naturally they expect

230 COREA

something back for their hospitahty. I hardly had time
to pay my chin-chins to all of them, folding my hands
and shaking them in front of my forehead, bent for-
ward, before a tray of eatables, such as beans, radishes
and rice in pretty brass bowls would be produced, and
a large cup of wine offered, out of which latter the
whole company drank in turn. They took much interest
in my sketching, and all insisted on being portrayed.
Many of them possessed a good deal of artistic talent,
and it is generally by their handiwork and patience
that the images and statues in the temples are pro-
duced. Among them were some very intelligent
faces, somewhat abruties^ to use a French word, owing
to the life they lead, but exceedingly bright and cheery
withal, and often very witty, when one came to talk with
them. As for shrewdness and quickness of perception
I know no person who has these better at his command
than the Corean Buddhist priest.

There are also in Corea nunneries for women who
desire to follow a religious life. Curiously enough,
contrary to the rule with us, the Corean nuns are more
emancipated than the rest of the native women. To
begin with, they dress just in the same way as do the
monks, shave their heads like them ; and being, more-
over, of a cast of countenance exceedingly ugly and
not at all feminine, they might quite well, from the
appearance of their faces, be taken to belong to the
stronger sex. A good many of them, contrary to the
case of the monks, impressed me as being afflicted
with mental and bodily sufferings, and in several cases
they even appeared to me to be bordering on idiocy.
They always, however, received me kindly, and showed

NUNS 231

me their convents, with cells In which two or three nuns
sleep together. They were not quite so careless as the
monks about the duties of religion, and at the little
temple close by there was a continual rattling of the
gong, a buzzing, monotonous sound, enough to drive
anybody out of his mind, if especially it was accompanied
by the beating of drums. The temples attached to
these nunneries seemed to be more elaborate inside

A NUNNERY

than those of the monasteries, and when a religious
ceremony has to be performed, two nuns, one in white,
the other draped in a long, black-greenish gown, and
both wearing a red garment thrown over the left
shoulder, passed under the right arm, and tied in front
with a ribbon, walk up and down inside the temple,
muttering prayers, while a third female goes on
rattling on the drums with all her might. Offerings
of rice, beans, etc., are placed in front of the gods, a
candle or two is lighted — and the nun in dark clothing

232 COREA

holds a small gong, fastened to the end of a bent stick,
and taps on it with a long-handled hammer, first
gently and slowly, then quicker and quicker, in a
crescendo, till she manages to produce a long shrill
sound. The person, for whom these prayers are offered,
kneels in front of the particular deity whom she
wants to invoke, though generally at the foot of the
Great Buddha, and with hands joined in front of
her nose, prays with the nuns, getting up during
certain prayers, kneeling down again for others.
For head-gear, the nuns wear the same grass
conical hats which the travelling monks do. If a
large oblation is offered, the service is still more
noisy, and not only are the big drums played in the
most violent manner, but the nuns squat in a body
along the walls inside the temple, and keep hammer-
ing away on little gongs similar to that just described.
Recall to your memory the sound of a blacksmith's
forge with two men hammering a red-hot iron,
magnify that sound a hundred times, and add to
it the buzzing of the prayers, and you will then get
a pretty fair idea of what one of these religious
ceremonies sounds like to European ears.

One of the best features of Confucianism is the
inculcation of respect towards parents and old people,
in which respect both monks and nuns do a deal of
good ; though, otherwise, I think the country might
advantageously be without these institutions.

Beliefs are comical when one does not believe in
them.

On the mountain slopes, just outside the city wall,
and at no great distance from the West Gate, is a

THE TOOTH-STONE 233

peculiar rock, which the action of the weather has
worn out into the shape of a gigantic tooth. Whence
comes its name of Tooth-stone. There would be
nothing wonderful about this, if It were not for the
fact that a visit to this freak of nature, has, according
to Corean accounts, the property of curing the worst of
tooth-aches. Though I was not myself afflicted with
the complaint In question, I went one afternoon to
witness the pilgrimage that takes place every day to
this miraculous spot. A little altar stands at the foot
of the huge tooth, and numberless tablets, certifying to
cures, erected by thankful noble visitors and others,
are fixed against the rock, with the name, date and
year when the cures were effected.

As I stood there, I could not help laughing at the
sight of the crowds of men and women with swollen
cheeks, bandaged up in cotton wool and kerchiefs,
apparently undergoing excruciating agonies through
coming out on so cold a day. One after the other they
came up, first paying their chin-chins in front of the
altar, and then depositing on it what cash they
could afford ; after which they proceeded to rub one
cheek after the other on the Tooth-stone, just as
** puss " rubs herself against your legs when you stroke
her head. The bandages had, of course, to be
removed before the balloon-like cheek could be rubbed
on the frozen stone, and to watch the different expres-
sions of relief or increased pain upon their ill-balanced,
inflamed faces, gave me as much amusement as any
show that I have ever witnessed. Should the pain
have temporarily disappeared, the man in charge of
the miracle would make it his duty to try and extract

2 34 COREA

more money from the person cured ; if, instead of that,
the pain had increased, which was generally the case,
then, again, he would impress on the agonised sufferer
that had he paid a larger sum in the beginning the
gods would not have been vexed at his meanness and
the pain would have disappeared. Let him, therefore,
now pay more cash by way of making up for it, and
try again ! It is wonderful, too, how shallow people
are when they have a pain any wliere !

CHAPTER XV

Police — Detectives — The plank- walk — The square board — The wooden
blocks for hands and feet — Floggings — The bamboo rod — The
stick — The flexible board — A flogging in Seoul — One hundred
strokes for three-halfpence — Wounds produced — Tender-hearted
soldiers — Imprisonment — Exile — Status of women, children and
bachelors — Guilds and the law — Nobles and the law — Serfdom —
A mild form of slavery.

Should you happen to be one of the tender-hearted
sort, please pass this chapter and the next over, and I
shall not bear you any malice. My present object is
.to describe some of the punishments inflicted on
criminals, and, though they are, as a whole, quaint and
original, I cannot say that they are pleasing, either to
see or to read about.

First of all, you may not be aware that there is in
Seoul a sharp and well-regulated body of police,
always ready to pounce on outlaws of any kind ; and
that there is hardly a crime committed, the delinquent
in which fails to be immediately collared. These
guardians of the peace do not wear any particular
uniform, but are dressed just like the merchant classes ;
and thus it is that, unknown, they can mix with people
of all sorts, and frequently discover crimes of which
they would otherwise probably never hear. Instead of
being mere policemen, they rather do the work of
detectives and policemen combined ; for, by ably

236 COREA

disguising themselves, they try to get on familiar terms
with people about whom they are suspicious ; and in
many a case, after having become a bosom-friend of
one of these officials and acknowledged and confessed
his evil deeds to him, the culprit finds himself arrested
and very likely beheaded.

In speaking of their mode of arrest, I purposely used
the word "collared" ; for no better term can express
the action of the Corean policeman. The man is taken
before the magistrate soon after his arrest, and should
he offer resistance he is dragged before him by his
top-knot or his pig-tail, according respectively as he is
a married man or a bachelor. If he is strong and
restive, a rope with a sliding knot is passed round his
neck, after his hands have been firmly tied behind his
back. After his Interview with the magistrate at the
yainen, if he be found guilty, he is generally treated
with very great severity.

If the crime has been only of the minor degree the
culprit undergoes the plank-walk, a punishment tire-
some enough, but not too harsh for Coreans. The
following is a rough description of it. A heavy wooden
plank, about twelve feet long and two feet wide, with
an aperture in the centre, is used, the man's head being
passed through the aperture and then secured in it in
such a way that he cannot remove it. Thus arrayed
he is made to walk through the streets of the town,
his head distorted by the weight he has to carry, and
his body restrained by the dragging of the plank either
in front of him or at his back. The passers-by point
at him the finger of scorn, as, in his helpless state, he
is made to swing from one side of the road to the other

PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS 237

with the slightest push, or else is pulled along merci-
lessly by people who seize the plank and begin to run.
He is poked in the ribs with sticks, and gets his head
smacked and smeared with dirt ; yet has to bear it all
patiently, until, twirled round, knocked about, and with
his neck skinned by the friction of the heavy plank,
he sometimes falls down in a dead faint.

Little or no compassion is shown to criminals by

THE PLANK-WALK

the Coreans. Rather than otherwise, they are cruel to
them ; and children, besides being cautioned not to
follow their bad example, are encouraged to annoy and
torture the poor wretches.

A more severe punishment still is the square board,
a piece of wood too heavy to allow of the man standing
for any length of time, too wide to allow of his arms
reaching his face, too big to allow of him resting his
head on the ground and going to sleep, and too thick

238 COREA

to allow of his smashing it and getting rid of it.
Instances are on record of people thus punished having
become lunatics after the fourth or fifth day. During
the fly season I should think such an occurrence can-
not be uncommon. Imagine half a dozen fiies disport-
ing themselves in a tickling walk on a man's nose,
eyelids and forehead, without his being able to reach
them, owing to this huge square wooden collar ! It
must be dreadful ! Merely the thought of it is enough
to give one the shivers.

This last mode of punishment has, I think, been
imported from China, for I have also seen it frequently
in the Empire of Heaven. The other, which I first
described, may also be a modification of this one, but
I do not remember having seen it, as I have described
it, anywhere except in Corea, at Seoul. There is
also in Corea another machine of torture, in which the
head and feet are tied between heavy blocks of wood.

The principal, and most important, of all the lesser
punishments, however, is flogging. It is that which
has most effect on the people, and it is certainly by far
the most painful. It is carried out in many ways,
according to the gravity of the crime committed. The
simpler and milder form is with a small bamboo rod,
the strokes being administered on the hands, on the
bare back or on the thighs, a punishment mostly for
young people. Next in severity, is that with the round
stick — a heavy implement — by which it was always a
marvel to me, that all the bones of the body were not
smashed, judging from the fearful blows which the
powerful flogger bestowed on ihe poor wretches
who lay stretched out flat, and face downward,

A PUBLIC FLOGGING 239

on a sort of bench, to which they were fastened,
and on which they generally fainted from pain
after the first few strokes had been given, This is
considered a low and degrading way of being flogged,
and is chiefly limited to people of the lowest standing in
society. The implement most generally in use in this
line of sport is the paddle or flat board, a beating with
which, when once received, is likely to be remembered
for ever. I shall try to describe the way in which I
saw it done one day in Seoul.

I was walking along the main street when I saw a
kisso (soldier), with his hands tied behind his back,
being led with a rope and followed by about a score of
cavalry soldiers in their picturesque hats and red
tassels. A magistrate, in his long white gown and
with a huge pair of circular spectacles on his nose,
headed the procession. I asked a passer-by what they
were going to do, and was soon informed, both by
action and by word of mouth, that the man was going
to be flogged, whereupon I at once slackened my pace,
and joined the procession, that I might, if possible, see
how they did this sort of thing in military circles. I
had already seen ordinary floggings with the bamboo
and the stick, but what attracted me more especially
on this occasion, was a long wooden board which a
soldier was carrying, and with which, the man who was
walking by my side said, they were going to beat him.
It was a plank about ten feet long, one foot wide and
half an inch thick, probably less, and therefore very
flexible. After walking for a short distance, the
procession at last made a halt. The man to be per-
formed upon, looked almost unconcerned ; and, save

240 COREA

that he was somewhat pensive, showed no signs of fear.
His hands having been untied, he at once took off his
hat — for in the land of Cho-sen a man does not mind
losing his life as long as his hat is not spoilt ! His
padded trousers were pulled down so as to leave his
legs bare, and he was then made to lie flat on the
pebbly ground, using his folded arms as a sort of rest
for his head. The magistrate, with his pompous strides,
having found a suitable spot, squatted down on his
heels, a servant immediately handing to him his long-
caned pipe. The soldiers, silent and grave, then
formed a circle, and the flogger, with his board all ready
in his hand, took up a position on the left-hand side
of his victim. The magistrate, between one puff
and another of smoke, gave a long harangue on
the evils of borrowing money and not returning it,
however small the sum might be. The disgrace, he
argued, would be great in anybody's case, but for a
soldier of the King, not only to commit the great
offence of borrowing money from a person of lower
grade than himself — "a butcher," but then also to add
to his shame by not returning it — this was something
that went beyond the limits of decency.

''How much was it you borrowed ? " he inquired in
a roaring kind of voice.

" A hundred cash'' answered the thread of a voice
from the head on the ground buried in the coat-
sleeves.

" Well, then, give him a hundred strokes, to teach
him to do better next time ! "

As a hundred cash is equivalent to one penny-
halfpenny, to my mind, the verdict was a little severe.

ONE HUNDRED STROKES FOR THREE-HALFPENCE 241

but, as there is no knowing what is good for other
people, I remained a silent spectator.

The flogger then, grabbing at one end of the board
with his strong hands, swung it two or three times
over his head, and gave a tremendous whack on the
man's thighs, causing them to bleed. Then immedi-
ately another and another followed, each being duly
reckoned, the poor fellow all the while moaning pitifully,
and following from the corners of his frightened eyes the
quick movements of the quivering plank. Soon his
skin became livid and inflamed, and, after a few more
blows had been given, large patches of skin remained
attached to the board. The pain must have been
intense. The wretch bit his sleeves, and moaned and
groaned, until, finally, he became faint. Meanwhile, I
had produced my sketch-book, and had already with
my pencil jotted down magistrate, flogger, flogged and
soldiers, when the ill-natured official took ofience at
what I was doing and ordered the flogging to be at
once stopped. Had I only known, I would have
begun my sketch before. As it was — and the culprit
had only received less than one-fifth of the number of
blows to which he had been sentenced — the perform-
ance was bad enough. There was only one redeeming
feature about it, and I must say no one was more
astonished at it than myself. Nearly all the soldiers,
friends of the offender, blubbered like children while
his punishment lasted. This circumstance seemed to
prove to me that the Easterns, though apparently
cruel, are, after all, not quite so hard-hearted as one
might be inclined to imagine. And, mind you, the
soldier-classes in Cho-sen are probably the most cruel

Q

242 COREA

of all ; that touch of sentiment on their part, therefore,
impressed me much, and upset entirely those first
ideas I had formed about their lack of sensitiveness
and sympathy for others.

The order to that effect being then given, two
soldiers proceeded to help the man to rise. Calling to
him was, however, of no avail. They had, therefore, to
lift him up bodily, but when they tried to dress him they
found his swollen bleeding legs to be as stiff as if they
had been made of iron ; wherefore, as they failed to
bend them, two other men had to come to their assist-
ance and carry him away. It not unfrequently happens
in the case of this cruel method of flogging that a man's
thighs are broken and himself ruined for life, and many
have been known to have even died under the severity
of the punishment.

Imprisonment is not a favourite punishment with
the Corean magistrates, for the infliction of such a
penalty means considerable expense to the country,
and would be but little punishment to the natives,
who, by such confinement, would suffer little or
nothing physically, and certainly not at all morally.
Some, however, especially of the nobler classes, are
kept confined, even for years, in expectation, for
instance, of a sentence of capital punishment being
carried out, or else in the hope that through influential
friends they may obtain the royal pardon. As a rule,
particularly with the better classes, exile is deemed a
more impressive punishment than imprisonment, and
when confiscation of land and property goes with this,
the punishment is, of course, all the more severe.

Of banishment there are several different kinds.

WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND BACHELORS 243

Thus, there is not only banishment from the city to a
distant province, but also that out of the kingdom
altogether. Some banishments are for short periods,
others for longer periods, others for life. Banishment
from the country is generally for life and accompanied
by confiscation.

A curious custom prevails at Court, according to
which, when a Minister, prince or magistrate incurs
the royal displeasure, he is confined for two or three
days to his own house, without being allowed to go
out. Were the rule broken it would lead to serious
trouble, for spies are generally sent to see that the
rule is not transgressed. Such a punishment, mild as
it is, is much felt by the nobles, and they take, there-
fore, a good deal of trouble to comply with the Court
etiquette in all its minutest details.

Corean law is very lenient to women and children,
or unmarried men, which latter class, as we have seen,
are classified in the same category as the former. The
head of the family is supposed to punish smaller offences
as he thinks fit, either by rod or fist, the law only pro-
viding the severer forms of punishment for the bigger
crimes.

The administration of the law in general is very
strange. Some people are responsible, others are not.
Certain tradesmen, like butchers, plasterers, inn-
keepers, carpenters, hatters, etc., have formed them-
selves into guilds, and in the case of offences com-
mitted by a member of one of these guilds he is held
responsible to the head of the guild and not to the
magistrates of the country. The same holds good in
the case of the mapus (horsemen) and the coolie-

244 COREA

carriers who constitute, probably, the best-formed and
best-governed guild in the country. It has thousands of
members all over the kingdom, and not only is the
postal system carried on by them, but also the entire
trade, so to speak, between the different provinces and
towns of the realm. The chief of this guild, until
late years, had actually the power of inflicting capital
punishment on the members ; now, however, the
highest penalty he can inflict is a sentence of flogging.
Thus it is, that a good deal of the justice of the country
is administered by the people themselves, without the
intervention of the legal authorities, in which respect
they show themselves very sensible. The nobles, too,
have the power of flogging their servants or followers,
and this is usually done in their own compounds. Very
often on passing a house the strokes of the paddle may
be heard, the howls and screams of the victim testify-
ing to the nature of what is going on. In other cases
flogging is generally done in public, for then it is
supposed to have more effect. If done in a private
enclosure, then all the servants, soldiers and followers
are summoned to witness it.

This patient submission to these personal punish-
ments is no doubt one of the last remains of feudalism.
In not very remote times, serfdom which bordered
on slavery was still in existence in Cho-sen. Men
and women became private property either by the
acquiring of the land on which they lived, or, by
purchase, or by way of execution for non-payment
of debts, for under this convenient law creditors could
be paid with a man's relations instead of with ready
money.

SERFDOM 245

Slavery in Corea, even when it existed, was, how-
ever, always of a very mild form. The women were
mostly employed as servants about the house, while
the man tilled the ground, but in neither case was
rough dealing the rule, and, far less, ill-treatment.
They were, too, well fed and clothed ; so much so,
that many people used to sell themselves in order to
acquire a comfortable living. In time of famine this
must have very often occurred, and many families
whose ancestors under such circumstances stood by
the nobles and rich people are even to the present
moment supported by them, though no longer as
slaves, but rather as retainers and servants. They
are perfectly happy with their lot and make no
agitation for liberty ; in fact, like the bird that has
been born and bred in a cage, if left to themselves,
they would probably soon come to a bad end.

CHAPTER XVI

Executions — Crucified and carried through the streets — The execution
ground — Barbarous mode of beheading — Noble criminals — Paternal
love — Shut out — Scaling the wall — A catastrophe — A nightmare.

In Cho-sen, as In other countries, we find not only
pleasanter sights, but also those that are disagreeable
or even revolting. That which I am about to describe
is one which, I have little doubt, will make your
blood curdle, but which is none the less as Interesting
as some of the others I have feebly attempted in this
work to describe ; I mean an execution as carried out
in the Land of the Morning Calm. The penal form
of death adopted is beheading, which is not, I believe,
so pleasant a sensation as, for instance, that of being
hanged — that is, when other persons are the sufferers.
Of late years, executions have not been by any
means an every-day occurrence In Corea, but here,
as In other countries, there Is always to be found a
good share of people who are anxious to be " off"
their heads. There Is no reason why people should
commit crimes, yet they do commit them and get
punished in consequence. They are punished In this
world for having broken the limits of society's laws,
and yet again, if what one hears Is correct, they are
punished wherever they happen to go after their final
departure from our very earthly regions. In Corea,

EXECUTIONS 247

as is the case all over the far East, the natives are
not much concerned about this future existence and
attach little importance to death and physical pain. I
have no doubt, in fact I am positive, that the Eastern
people feel pain much less than we do, partly because
they are accustomed from childhood to be insensitive
to bodily agony, but chiefly because they are differ-
ently constituted to us. In our case, the brain, by
means of which it is that we judge of the amount
of pain inflicted on us, has been trained to receive
impressions so quickly, transmitted as they are in an
instant from any part of the body to the centre of our
system, that, indeed, many times we actually feel the
pain before it has been physically communicated to us
at all. With the Corean, as with the Manchu or the
Chinese, a reverse action takes place. With them, the
brain works so very slowly that, supposing a bad ache
is taking place in any part of the body, whence is
being conveyed to the drowsy brain the unpleasant
news of the agony that that part is undergoing ; well,
what in that case happens in the Corean skull ? By
the time the brain has grasped the idea that the afore-
said part of the body is really in a state of suffering,
the pain is almost gone. This, roughly stated, is I
believe, a truthful explanation of their going to death
with so much bravery.

It is a common occurrence in China for criminals,
kneeling in a row to be executed, to crack jokes
among themselves, and even at the executioner's
expense. In Corea, they cannot go quite so far as
that, for things are done somewhat differently. In the
latter country, the prisoners are detained in the gaols

248 COREA

sometimes for months and even years, undergoing
judgments and sentences, floggings and milder tor-
tures innumerable, so that it is almost with a feeling of
relief and gladness that, finally, being proved guilty,
they receive the news of their fast approaching end.
When their time is come, they are removed from
prison, and dragged out into a courtyard, within which,
with the first rays of light, have been brought some
little carts with heavy and roughly-made wooden
wheels, each drawn by a sturdy bull. On the ground
some wooden crosses have been set up, and to each of
these a criminal is tied with ropes, his chest and arms
being bare, and cut into by the tightened cords, and
only his padded trousers being left. Each cross with
its human freight is then planted and made firm on a
bull cart ; and then, when all is ready, the ghastly
procession, headed by the executioner, a few kissos
(soldiers), armed with old fashioned flint locks or with
spears, makes its way slowly through the streets of
the town, one of the followers proclaiming aloud the
crimes committed and the sentences passed on the
crucified. Sleepy women and children, with uncombed
hair, peep out of the paper windows, while the men
hurry down to the street and join the procession in
large numbers, making fun at the expense of the poor
wretches, and even insulting them ; while the latter,
hang helpless and defenceless from their crosses, their
bodies livid with cold, pain and starvation. Occasions
such as these, are regular orgies for the soldiers, and
those who follow the mournful cortege. Not a wine-
shop on the road-side is left unvisited, and continual
halts are made that wine may be freely drunk, and

PROCESSION THROUGH THE STREETS 249

food swallowed, as only Corean soldiers know how to
do it. Occasionally, a pious passer-by, moved to com-
passion, may, amid the howls of the crowd, raise his
wine-cup to the lips of one of the sentenced, and help
him thus to make death more merry. Once this sort
of thing is started, the example is usually at once
emulated by others, apd, as the hours go by, a con-
siderable amount of intoxicating stuff is consumed, not
only by the executioner, soldiers and followers, but also
by those to be executed. Before very long, however,
the bodies of the victims thus carried become senseless
and nearly frozen to death. Their heads then hang
down pitifully, all blue and congested, and quivering
with the jerking of the cart.

'' Era ! Era ! Picassa ! " {'' Get out ! get away ! ") the
drunken soldiers call out at intervals, as they swallow
their last mouthful of rice, and order the mapus to move
on to the next eating-place. Crowds of men and
children collect round the miserable show and prudent
fathers, pointing at the victims, show their heirs what
will be the fate of those who do what is wrong.
During the whole day are the poor wretches thus
carted to and fro, in the streets of the town, stoppages
being made at all the public eating-places, where
feasting invariably takes place, though it is also almost
as invariably left unpaid for.

Only when sunset has come is it that the procession,
having made its way towards one of the city gates,
finally leaves the town and winds its way through the
open country to a suitable spot for the chopping-off
process. Executions are not held at any particular
spot ; and in former days, even a few years ago, it

250 COREA

was not an uncommon occurence to see the dead
bodies of beheaded people lying about in the streets of
Seoul. Now, however, they generally take the
offenders outside the Wall, and inflict the capital
punishment miles away from the town.

The execution represented in the illustration, took
place on the sixth of February, 1891, and is a repro-
duction of a picture which I have done from sketches
taken on the spot. The men executed on this occa-
sion numbered seven, and the crime committed, was
'' high treason." They had conspired to upset the
reigning dynasty of Cho-sen, and had devised the
death of His Majesty the King. Unfortunately for
them, the plot was discovered before its aims could be
carried out, and the ringleaders arrested and impri-
soned. For over a year they had remained in gaol,
undergoing severe trials, and being constantly tortured
and flogged to make them confess their crime, and
betray the friends who were implicated with them.
That, however, being of no avail, the seven men
were at last all sentenced to death. Three of them
were noblemen, and one a priest ; while the others
were commoner people, though well-to-do. Here are
their names ; Yi-Keun-eung, Youn-Tai-son, Im-Ha-
sok, Kako (priest), Yi-sang-hik, Chyong-HIong-sok,
Pang-Pyong-Ku.

Having undergone the final drive through the town,
by the sound of the big bell at sunset the cortege
passed through the " Gate of the Dead ;" then, leaving
the crowded streets of the capital. It made its way
towards the spot where the execution was to take
place. The place selected was on a naturally raised

BARBAROUS MODE OF BEHEADING 251

ground, nearly 20 lis (6i miles) from Seoul, a lonely-
spot, overlooking a deserted plain. The high road
was only a few hundred yards distant, and could be
plainly seen as a white interminable line, like a white
tape, at the foot of the distant hills.

The bull carts were stopped some little way below
this spot on the flat ground, and then, one by one, the
wretched creatures were taken down and removed
from their crosses in a brutal manner, and handed
over to the executioner. Senseless, they lay on the
ground, with their arms tied behind their backs, and a
long rope fastened to their top-knots in the hair ; until
they were carried one after another, and laid flat on
their faces, with their chests on the little stools seen in
the picture. When they had all been thus stationed,
the executioner proceeded to administer blows with
his blunt sword until the heads were severed from the
bodies. On the occasion in question, several of the
bodies were hacked about most mercilessly through
the inexperience or drunkenness of this brute. The
third man in the illustration, for example, had a good
part of his left shoulder cut off as clean as a whistle,
although the blow had been meant to strike the neck ;
but let this suffice for these horrible details. I have
mentioned them, partly, that they may be compared
with the dexterous doings of the neighbouring
Chinese, whose skill in the chopping-off line is beyond
description.

The Chinese possess very long, sharp, well-balanced
swords, a single blow of one of which will sever the
head from the body. Besides, they administer their
blows as neatly as the most fastidious of customers

2 52 COREA

might desire, and the victim does not really undergo
much pain. The executioners, too, are picked out from
among the strongest men, and are so well trained that
they never miss a blow. The whole affair, con-
sequently, Is over In less than no time ; a few seconds
being quite sufficient to do away with one comfortably.
Truly enough, were It to be one's lot to be executed, I
would desire nothing more delightful than to have
one's head ''done" by a Celestial executioner. The
Coreans, on the contrary, have not developed the
same skill In these difficult matters ; and, what with
their blunt and short swords, what with their mis-
judgment of distances, they bungle matters most
cruelly. Of course, they are, nevertheless, supposed to
kill their victims with single blows, instead of raining
them down by the dozen, hacking the unfortunate
creatures in a most fearful manner, and lopping off
their arms or gashing their bodies before the heads
are finally cut off.

The little blocks, upon which the men were laid
down, were so arranged that their chests rested on the
upper portions, the head In consequence being raised
several Inches from the ground. The idea in this was
to make things easier for the executioner ; the same
reason also explaining why the straw rope was tied to
each man's top-knot ; for In this way another man
could hold him fast to the stool when the decapitation
was to take place. A somewhat closer examination of
the first body in the Illustration will at once show how
distorted It Is. This is what must have happened : In
the final struggle with death the owner had attempted
to resist his fate, when several soldiers had Immediately

THE EXECUTION GROUND 253

pounced upon him, with the inevitable result that, in
his desperate struggling, the spine had been broken ;
a strange, yet very natural accident, under the cir-
cumstances. The arms being tied together at the
elbows behind, the spine had been at great tension,
like a set bow, so that a violent assault could not but
result in its being fractured, especially considering the
weak and frozen condition in which the derelict
before us was. That I am probably correct in this
explanation seems to be further proved by the fact
that his head, when severed, had been taken up and
swung to a distance by the angry executioner.

Now, though this way of doing away with criminals
may appear a very cruel one to European minds, it is,
nevertheless, a decided improvement on the older
method of executing prevalent in Corea, as practised
for example, many years ago, on some French mission-
aries and their followers.

The execution of these martyrs was preceded by
terrible floggings and tortures, and when they were
led to the execution-ground they had two arrows thrust
into their flesh, like modern St. Sebastians.

The executioner and soldiers, after having accom-
plished their bloody work, and converted the execution-
ground for the time being into a shambles, retraced
their steps to the nearest wine-shop, where the rest of
the night was spent in drinking and gorging. The
bodies were left as a repast for dogs and leopards ; for
no Corean with a sound mind could be induced to go
near the spot where they lay, lest the spirits of their
departed souls should play some evil trick upon them.
So much, in fact, were they scared at the idea of pass-

254 COREA

ing at all near to the dead bodies that, though the
execution took place a few hundred yards away from
the high road, the superstitious Coreans preferred
going miles out of their way on the other side of the
hill range to being seen near (they called it '' near")
a spot where so many people had perished.

The morning following this execution I took many
sketches of the ghastly scene and the mutilated bodies.
I did not leave until darkness began to set in, when,
as I was busy packing up my traps to return to Seoul,
I was rather startled by the sudden appearance near
me of an old man, sad, pale, and worn-out with anxiety.
As he crept up to my side, in a most suspicious manner,
he looked round, and then, with a violent effort, directed
his gaze to the bodies lying a little way off He was
shivering like a leaf, his eyes were staring and his
fingers outstretched, yet he could not remove his glance
from the dreadful sight. As he was in this tragic
position, two coolies, carrying a coffin, appeared
cautiously on the scene ; but, when still a long way
from the bodies, they refused positively to approach
any nearer, and all the expostulation of the old man
who went down to meet them, all the extra strings of
cash, the last ones he possessed, were not sufficient
to induce them to stir another inch. This fright which
had taken possession of them was thus great, partly
because of the natural superstitions which all Coreans
entertain regarding the souls of dead persons, and also
because the fact of being seen or found near these
political criminals might in all probability lead to the
loss of their heads as well. At last, however, when
their terror was somewhat overcome, they promised to

PATERNAL LOVE 255

go near the bodies if large sums should be paid them ;
whereupon the old man who had not another cash
in the world, seemed to act as if he were in a state of
thorough despair. I watched his face and thought
that he was actually goin^ to collapse. Not a word of
complaint, however, did he utter to me. Intense grief
was depicted on his face, and I had pity on him. He
was old, too, and his features were refined. He
opened his heart to me.

'* That," lying dead there, with his head Heaven
only knew where, was his son ! He had been a noble-
man ; that one could see at a glance, but was poor now,
*' cashless," having spent his fortune in his efforts to
bribe the officials to let his son be released. His
money had come to an end, and there his son lay dead.
The risk he was running, he well knew, was very
great, in thus coming to remove the body of the one
he loved. Were the officials only to know that he
had visited the spot, he would straightway be
imprisoned, accused of complicity, tortured, and then
put to death ; notwithstanding this, however, he felt
sure that darkness would protect him, and so in his
anxiety he had come to remove his son's body, that he
might during the night bury it on one of the distant
hills. He had given the coolies the little money he
had to help him in his enterprise, and now that he was
only a few yards from his beloved he could not get
them to proceed. He was himself too weak to move
the body.

I took him by the arm, and we approached the
bodies. The near view of them made him shudder
and turn pale, and as he rested on my arm he was

256 COREA

shivering all over. Not a word did he utter, not a
lamentation did he make, not a tear did he shed ; for,
to show one's feelings is considered bad form in the
land of Cho-sen. I could well see, however, that his
heart was aching. He bent over the bodies, one after
the other ; then, after a lengthy examination, he
pointed to one, and murmured :

" This is my son, this is my son ! I know him by
his hands. See how they are swollen, and nearly cut
by the rope ? "

Next, after a good deal of uncertainty, for the face
was smeared and streaked with blood, we found the
head pertaining to the body. The old man, with
paternal love, then proceeded, if he could, to stick the
head on the body again, but — this was impossible.

" Please, sir," he begged of me, in a tone of
lamentation, ''help me to take my son as far as the
coffin."

I consented, and, with the utmost trouble, we
carried the body down the hill, afterwards coming
back for the head. In two mats, which had been
carried inside the hearse, we wrapped the corpse up as
well as we could, and then bundled him into the coffin.
All this time a careful look-out was maintained, to see
that no one else was about to spy over the deed, but
once the corpse was in its coffin, the coolies quickly
took the hearse on their shoulders, and all sped away,
not without repeated "kamapsos" (thanks) being given
me by the old man.

That was the only body which was removed, all the
others being left to rot or to be eaten up by wild
animals.

ASPECT OF THE CORPSES 257

When I examined the expressions on the faces of
the beheaded wretches, it did not seem as if any of
them had at all enjoyed what had taken place ; on the
contrary, rather than otherwise, there was plainly
depicted on their now immovable features an ex-
pression of most decided dissatisfaction. Without
doubt, they had undergone a terrible agony. In some
cases the eyes were closed, in others they were wide
open, staring straight in front. The pupils had
become extremely small. The lips of all were con-
tracted, and the teeth showed between, tightly
closed. Streaks of blood covered the faces, and it
was very apparent that the noses, ears, and sometimes
the outside corners of the eyes, had been bleeding,
this being probably due to the violent blows received
from the sword. In a word, the expression which had
become stereotyped upon their faces was that of great
pain and fright, although none of them, with the
exception of the one who had resisted at the last
moment, showed it in any other way. The muscles
of the arms also were much contracted, and the swollen
fingers were of a bluish colour with congested blood, and
half-closed and stiff — as if made of wood.

By the time that the old man, his coolies and
their sad burden had got well out of sight, on their
way up one of the distant hills, I had finished packing
up my sketches and painting materials. Then, as I
retraced my steps towards Seoul it became quite dark.
On the way, however, I purchased, for the large sum
of three cash (the tenth part of a penny), a small
paper lantern, with a little candle inside — the latter
leading me to the extravagance of an extra cask ;

258 COREA

and, armed with this Hghting apparatus, all complete,
I proceeded towards the East Gate.

This little lantern, which was exactly similar to
those used by the natives, came in very handy on this
occasion. These lanterns are the most ingenious
things that can be imagined for the
money. Each has a wooden bottom,
and a bent cane acts as a handle. A nail
is provided in the centre of the wooden
bottom, wherein to stick the candle, and
the flame is protected by white tissue
paper pasted all round the lantern.
A NATIVE LANTERN In due course I reached the East
Gate, but only to find it closed, for it
was now long after sunset. I then tried the '' Gate
of the Dead," having no objection to enter the town
for once as a "deceased"; but, although the ''de-
parted " have the privilege of leaving the town after
dark, they are not allowed to come in again ; for
which reason it really seemed as if I had before me
the fine prospect of having to put up at one of the
dirty native inns just outside the Gate until it should
please Phoebus to show his welcome fire-face again
above the mountain line.

I had learned that there was, at no great distance
away, a spot where, at the risk only of breaking one's
neck, it was possible to scale the city wall ; wherefore,
having consulted a child as to the exact locality, besides
tempting him with a string of cash, I proceeded to
find it, and soon, under his guidance, reached it. The
wall at this spot was, I may mention, about twenty
feet high. Having, then, fastened my paint-box and

CLIMBING THE WALL 2§9

sketches to my back by means of a strap, and slinging
the paper lantern to my arm, I proceeded, hampered
though I was, to make trial of my cat-like qualities in
the matter of wall climbing. Placing the tips of my
fingers and toes in the crevices between the stones and
in other gaps in the wall, I managed with some little
difficulty, to crawl up a certain height. The wall was
nearly perpendicular, mind you, and, owing to the cold
frozen nature of the stones, my fingers got so stiff that
I had hardly any power left in them. Then, too, the
weight of the heavy paint-box on my shoulders was
more conducive to bringing me down again than to
helping me up. In my mind's eye, accordingly, I saw
myself at every moment coming down with a bang
from my high position to the frozen ground below,
and began to think that I should be fortunate if
I succeeded in coming out of my wall-climbing
experience with only half the ribs in my body
reduced to atoms, and one or two broken limbs in
addition. Making a special effort, however, I got a
few feet higher, when I heard a mysterious voice
below murmur: ''You have nearly reached the top."
I received the news with such delight that, in con-
sequence of the fresh vigour which it imparted to me
and which made me try to hurry up, one of my feet
slipped, and I found myself clinging to a stone, with
the very ends of my fingers. Oh what a sensation !
and what moments of anxiety, until, quickly searching
with my toes, I got a footing again.

That slip was fatal, for, owing to the jerk it gave me,
the unsteady candle inside the paper lantern fell out
of its perpendicular position and produced a conflagra-

26o COREA

tion. Then, Indeed, was I placed in the most
perplexing position, for, here was I, holding on to the
wall, I do not know how, with the lantern and my
sleeve on fire and my arm getting unpleasantly warm,
and yet utterly unable to do anything to lessen the
catastrophe. Only one thing could be done ; and I
can assure you, the few remaining feet which had to
be climbed were got over with almost the agility of a
monkey. Thus, at last, I was on the top.

This adventure made a very good finish for what
had been a most exciting day ; and, now that the faith-
less lantern was burning itself out, and dwindling away
down below, and that the fire in my sleeve was put out,
I had to remain in darkness. I stumbled along the
rampart of the wall until I could get down into one of
the streets, where, having roused the people, I was
able to purchase another light, and reach home
again in safety. After the hearty meal which I then
partook of, I need scarcely add that a greater part of
the night was spent in dreaming of numberless body-
less heads rolling about around me, and of people
being burned alive, until I finally woke up next morning
with a fearful shock, and the thought that I was being
precipitated from the top of the Tower of Babel.

THE KING MEETING THE CHINESE ENVOYS

CHAPTER XVII

The " King's procession " — Removing houses — Foolhardy people —
Beaten to death — Cavalry soldiers — Infantry — Retainers — Banners
— Luxurious saddles — The King and his double — Royal palanquins
— The return at night.

The official life of the King of Corea is secluded.
He rarely goes out of the royal palace, although
rumours occasionally fly about that His Majesty has
visited such and such a place in disguise. When he
does go out officially, the whole town of Seoul gets
into a state of the greatest agitation and excitement.
Not more than once or twice a year does such a thing
happen ; and when it does, the thatched shanties
erected on the wide royal street are pulled down,
causing a good deal of trouble and expense to the
small merchants, etc. People fully understand, however,
that the construction of these shanties is only allowed
on condition that they shall be pulled down and

262 COREA

removed whenever necessity should arise ; an event
which may often occur, at only a few hours' notice.
The penalty for non-compliance is beheading.

The moment they receive the order to do so, the
inhabitants hurriedly remove all their household goods ;
the entire families, and those friends who have been
called in to help, carrying away brass bowls, clothes and
cooking implements, amid a disorder indescribable.
Everybody talks, screams and calls out at the same
time ; everybody tries to push away everybody else in
his attempts to carry away his armful of goods in
safety ; and, what with the dust produced by the
tearing the thatch off the roofs, what with the ham-
mering down of the wooden supports, and the bustle of
the crowd, the scene is pandemonium.

I well remember how astonished I was when, pass-
ing in the neighbourhood of the royal palace, early
one morning, I saw the three narrow, parallel streets
which lead to the principal gateway being converted
into one enormously wide street. The two middle
rows of houses were thus completely removed, and the
ground was made beautifully level and smooth.
Crowds of natives had assembled all along the royal
street, as well as up the main thoroughfare, leading
from the West to the East gate ; and the greatest
excitement prevailed amongst the populace. The
men were dressed in newly-washed clothes, and the
women and children were arrayed in their smartest
garments. Infantry soldiers, with muskets, varying
from flint-locks to repeating-rifles, were drawn up in a
line on each side to keep the road clear. There were
others walking along with long, flat paddles, and some

CAVALRY SOLDIERS

263

with round heavy sticks, on the look-out for those who
dared to attempt to cross the road. As generally
happens on such occasions, there were some foolish
people who did not know the law, and others who chal-
lenged one another to do what was forbidden, well know-
ing that, if caught, severe blows of the paddle would
be their portion. Every now and then, howls and
shouts would call the attention
of the crowd to some nonsensical
being running full speed down
the middle of the road, or across
it, pursued by the angry soldiers,
who, when they captured him,
began by knocking him
down, and continued by
beating him with their
heavy sticks and paddles,
until he became senseless,
if not killed. When either
of the last-mentioned ac-
cidents happened, as oc-
casionally was the result,
the body would be thrown
into one of the side drain-
canals along the road and
left there, no one taking the slightest notice of it.

Cavalry soldiers were to be seen in their picturesque
blue and brown costumes, and cuirasses, and wide-
awake black hats adorned with long red tassels hang-
ing down to the shoulders, or, as an alternative,
equipped with iron helmets and armed with flint-locks
and spears. In their belts, on one side, they carried

CAVALRY SOLDIER WITH UMBRELLA-HAT

■264 COREA

swords, and on the other, oil-paper umbrella-shaped
covers. When folded, one of these hat-covers re-
sembles a fan ; and when spread out for use, it is
fastened over the hat by means of a string. Those
warriors who wore helmets carried the round felt hats
as well, fastened to the butts of their saddles.

This cavalry equipment was in great contrast, from
a picturesque point of view, with the comical imitations
of the European mode of equipment exhibited by the
infantry soldiers. One peculiarity of these cavalry-
men was their instability in the saddle. Each cavalier
had a mapu to guide the horse, and another man by
his side to see that he did not fall off, each having thus
two men to look after him. A charge of such cavalry
on the battle-field must, indeed, be a curious sight.

In the olden time it was forbidden for any one to
look down on the king from any window higher than
the palanquins, but now the rule is not so strictly
observed, although, even at the time when I witnessed
these processions, nearly all the higher windows were
kept closed and sealed by the more loyal people. The
majority, therefore, witnessed the scene from the
streets.

The procession was headed by several hundred in-
fantry soldiers, marching without the least semblance of
order, and followed by cuirassed cavalrymen mounted
on microscopic ponies in the manner above described.
Then followed two rows of men in white, wearing
square gauze white caps, similar to those which form
the distinctive badge of the students when they go to
their examinations ; between which two rows of
retainers, lower court officials, and yamens, perched on

THE KING AND HIS DOUBLE 265

high white saddles, rode the generals and high
Ministers of state, supported by their innumerable
servants. Narrow long white banners were carried
by these attendants, and a dragon-flag of large
dimensions towered above them. Amid an almost
sepulchral silence, the procession moved past, and
after it came a huge white palanquin, propped on two
long heavy beams, and carried on the shoulders of
hundreds of men.

When the court and country are not in mourning,
the horses of the generals, high officials and eunuchs
bear magnificent saddles, embroidered in red, green
and blue ; the ponies led by hand immediately in
front of the King's palanquin being also similarly
decked out.

Curiously enough, when the first royal palanquin
had gone past the procession repeated itself, almost in
its minutest details, and another palanquin of the exact
shape of the first, and also supported by hundreds of
attendants, advanced before us. Puzzled at this strange
occurrence, I inquired of a neighbour :

'' In which palanquin is the King? "

" No one knows, except his most intimate friends at
Court," was the answer. "In case of an attempt upon
his life, he may thus be fortunate enough to escape."

If such an attempt were made success would not in
any case be an easy matter, except with a gun or a
bomb ; for the King's sedan is raised so high above the
ground that it would be impossible for any one to
reach it with his hands. Besides, it is surrounded by
a numerous escort.

The sedans were constructed after the model of a

266 COREA

large square garden-tent with a pavilion roof, the front
side being open. The King — somebody closely re-
sembling him is selected for his double — sits on a sort
of throne erected inside.

On another occasion, when I saw a similar pro-
cession accompanying the King to the tomb of the
queen-dowager, the two palanquins used were much
smaller, and were fast closed, although there were
windows with thick split bamboo blinds on both sides
of each palanquin. The palanquins were covered with
lovely white leopard skins outside, and were rich in
appearance, without lacking in taste.

When the King's procession returned to the palace
after dark, the beauty and weirdness of the sight were
increased tenfold. Huge reed-torches, previously
planted in the ground at intervals along the line of
route, were kindled as the procession advanced, and
each soldier carried a long tri-coloured gauze lantern
fastened to a stick, while the palanquins were sur-
rounded with a galaxy of white lights attached to high
poles. A continuous hollow moaning, to indicate that
the King was a very great personage, and that many
hundreds of men had undergone great fatigue in carry-
ing him, was heard as the palace gate was approached,
and a deep sigh of relief arose from thousands of lungs
when he was finally deposited at his door. Propped
up by his highest Ministers of state, who held him
under the arms, he entered his apartments ; after
which the lights were quickly put out, and most of the
crowd retired to their homes.

On such occasions as these, however, the men are
allowed out at night as well as the women.

CHAPTER XVIII

Fights — Prize fights — Fist fights — Special moon for fighting — Sum-
mary justice — The use of the top-knot — Cruelty — A butcher com-
batant—Stone-fights — Belligerent children — Battle between two
guilds — Wounded and killed — The end of the battle postponed —
Soldiers' fights.

One of the characteristic sights in Cho-sen is a private
fight. The natives, as a rule, are quiet and gentle, but
when their temper is roused they seem never to have
enough of fighting. They often-times disport them-
selves in witnessing prize-fights among the champions
of different towns, or of different wards in the same
town, and on these occasions large crowds assemble
to view the performance. The combatants generally
fight with their fists, but, like the French, are much
given to use their knees and feet as well in the
contest. Much betting, also, goes on amongst the
excited spectators, and it is not seldom that a
private contest of this kind degenerates into a free
fight.

The lower classes in the towns thoroughly enjoy
this kind of sport, and the slightest provocation is
sufficient to make them come to blows. The curious
point about their fighting is that during the first
moon of the new year all rows can be settled in this
rough and ready manner, without committing any

268 COREA

breach of the law. Hence it is that during that
moon, one sees hardly anything but people quarrel-
ling and fighting. All the anger of the past year is
preserved until the New Year festivities are over,
but then free play is straightway given to the bottled-
up passions. Were a man even to kill his antagonist
during a fight at this legalised season, I doubt
whether he would be imprisoned or punished ; very
likely not.

For about fifteen days, in truth, things are simply
dreadful in the streets. Go in one direction, and you
see people quarrelling ; go in another, and you see
them fighting. The original causa inovens of all this
is generally cash !

When a deadly fight takes place in the streets, you
may at once set it down as having arisen over, say,
a farthing ! Debts ought always to be paid before the
old year is over ; and, occasionally, grace is allowed for
the first fifteen days in the first moon ; after that, the
defaulting debtors get summary justice administered to
them. Creditors go about the town in search of
their debtors, and should they come face to face,
generally a few unparliamentary remarks are passed,
followed by a challenge. Hats are immediately re-
moved, and given for safe keeping to some one or
other of the spectators, a crowd of whom has, of
course, at once assembled ; and then the creditor,
as is customary under such circumstances in all
countries, makes a dash for his debtor. The main
feature about these fights, so far as I could judge, was
the attempt of each antagonist to seize hold of the
other by his top-knot. Should this feat be successfully

COREAN CRUELTY 269.

accomplished, a violent process of head-shaking would
ensue, followed by a shower of blows and scratches
from the free hand, the lower extremities meanwhile
being kept busy distributing kicks, really meant for
the antagonist, but, occasionally, in fact often,
delivered to some innocent passer-by, owing to the
streets of Cho-senese towns not being as a rule over-
wide.

When in a passion, the Coreans can be very cruel.
No devices are spared which can inflict injury on the
adversary, and scratching and biting during these fights
are common concomitants. One afternoon, as I was
returning from a call at the Japanese Legation, and
was proceeding down a slight incline, riding Mr. Great-
house's horse, I witnessed a dreadful scene. A butcher
and another tradesman were settling questions in
their own delightful way, and were knocking each
other about. At last, the butcher felled the other
man with a blow of a short club — like a policeman's
club — which is often made use of in these fights.
As the man lay motionless on the ground, the other,
far from being content with what he had done, seized
a huge block of wood, one of those upon which they
chop up the meat, and, lifting it up with a great effort,
dropped it on his antagonist's head, with a dreadful
sounding crack, which smashed his skull, as one would
a nut. Then, sitting triumphantly on the wooden block,
he solicited the compliments of the spectators.

Special interest is taken when the women fight, that
is, among the very lowest classes, and frequently the
strings of cash earned during the day are lost or
doubled on the odds of the favourite.

270 COREA

The better classes, it must be said to their credit,
never indulge in fist-fighting in public, though occa-
sionally they have competitions in their own compounds,
champions being brought there at great expense and
made to fight in their presence. I believe they consider
it to be degrading, either first, to lose one's temper, or
secondly, to administer justice in such a fashion.

The most important contests of all are the stone
and club-fights, which are a national institution,
approved by the Government and patronised by
everybody. They sometimes attain such large pro-
portions as to be regular battles. Supposing that one
town or village has, from motives of jealousy or other
causes, reason to complain of a neighbouring city or
borough, a stone-fight during the first moon is
invariably selected as the proper method of settling
the difference. Private families, with their friends,
fight in this way against other private families and
their allies ; and entire guilds of tradesmen sometimes
fight other guilds, several hundreds of men being
brought into the field on either side.

Children are much encouraged in this sport, it being
supposed that they are thus made strong, brave and
fearless ; and I have actually seen mothers bring
children of only eight or nine years old up to the
scratch, against an equal number of lads urged on by
their mothers on the other side. One boy on each
side, generally the pluckiest of the lot, is the leader,
and he is provided with a small club, besides wearing
on his head a large felt hat with a sort of wreath round
the crown, probably as a protection against the blows
that might reach his head. After him come ten.

STONE-FIGHTS 271

twenty, or more other children in their little red jackets,
some armed with a club like their leader, the others
with armfuls of stones. A good mound of this
ammunition is also, as a rule, collected in the rear, to
provide for the wants of the battle. The two leaders
then advance and formally challenge each other, the
main body of their forces following in a triangle ; and
when, after a certain amount of hesitation, the two
have exchanged a few sonorous blows with their clubs
on each other's skulls, the battle begins in earnest,
volleys of stones are fired and blows freely distributed
until the forces of one leader succeed in pushing back
and disbanding the others.

A fight of this kind, even among children, lasts for
several hours, and, as can well be imagined, at the end
of it there are a great many bleeding noses and
broken teeth, besides bruises in profusion. The victor
in these fights is made much of and receives presents
from his parents and the friends of the family. The
principal streets and open spaces in Seoul, during the
fighting period, are alive with these youthful com-
batants, and large crowds assemble to witness their
battles, taking as much interest in them as do the
Spaniards in their bull-fights, and certainly causing as
much excitement.

More serious than these, however, are the hostilities
which occasionally take place between two guilds.
When I was in Seoul, there was a great feud between
the butchers and those practising the noble art of
plastering the houses with mud. Both trades are
considered by the Coreans to belong to the lowest
grade of society ; and, this being so, the contest would

272 COREA

naturally prove of an envenomed and brutal character.
A day was fixed, upon which a battle should take place,
to decide whose claims were to prevail, and a battle-
field was selected on a plain just outside the South
Gate of the city. The battlefield was intersected by
the same small frozen rivulet which also crosses
Seoul ; and it was on the western side, near the city
wall, where stood a low hill, that on the day appointed
I took up my position to view the fight, sketch and
note-book in hand.

The two armies duly arrived, and placed themselves
in position, the butchers on one side of the stream,
the plasterers on the other. There were altogether
about eighteen hundred men in the field, that is to
say, about nine hundred on each side. As I could
not get a very good view from my high point of
vantage, I foolishly descended to the valley to inspect
the fighting trim of the combatants, with the result
that when the signal for the battle to begin was given
I found myself under a shower of missiles of all weights
and sizes, which poured down upon me with incredible
rapiclity and solidity. Piles of stones had been
previously massed together by the belligerent parties,
and fresh supplies came pelting down incessantly. I
must acknowledge I did not enjoy my position at all,
for the stones went whistling past, above my head,
fired as they were with tremendous force by means of
slings.

The confusion was great. Some men were busy
collecting the stones into heaps again, while others
were running to and fro — going to fetch, or carrying,
fresh ammunition to the front ; and all the time the

BATTLE BETWEEN TWO GUILDS 273

two armies were gradually approaching one another
until at last they came together on the banks of the
narrow stream. Here, considering the well-directed
pelting of stones, it was difficult to say which army
would succeed in dislodging the other. Those on the
opposite side to where I was made a rush upon us, but
were fired upon with such increased vigour that they
were repulsed ; then, however, concentrating their
forces on one point, they made a fresh attack and
broke right into our ranks, fighting corps a corps, and
pushing back the men on my side, until the whole of
their contingent was brought over to our side of the
stream. I was not, of course, taking any active part
in the fighting, but, seeing the bad turn the struggle
was assuming, I made up my mind that I was destined
to have my own skull broken before the fray was over.
Though the duelling was fierce, however, each man
being pitted against his opponent with clubs and drawn
knives, and hammering or stabbing at him to his
heart's content, I, somehow, was in no way molested,
except of course, that I was naturally much knocked
about and bruised, and several times actually came in
contact, and face to face, with the irate enemy.

If you can imagine eighteen hundred people fighting
by twos in a comparatively limited space and all
crowded together ; if you can form an idea of the
screaming, howling, and yelling in their excitement ;
and if you can depict the whole scene with its envelop-
ment of dust, then you will have a fair notion of what
that stone-fight was like. The fighting continued
briskly for over three hours, and many a skull was
smashed. Some fell and were trampled to death ;

274 COREA

Others had very severe knife wounds ; a few were
killed right out. When the battle was over, few were
found to have escaped without a bruise or a wound,
and yet, after all, very few were actually killed, con-
sidering how viciously they fought. Indeed, there
were in all only about half a dozen dead bodies left on
the battle-field when the combatants departed to the
sound of the *' big bell" which announced the closing
of the city gates.

After a long discussion on the part of the leaders,
it was announced that the battle was to be considered
a draw, and that it would, therefore, have to be
renewed on the next afternoon. The argument, I was
told, was that, though the other side had managed to
penetrate the camp on my side, yet they had not been
able to completely rout us, we having made a firm
stand against them. For the following two or three
days, however, it snowed heavily, and the fighting had
to be postponed ; and on the day it actually did take
place, to my great sorrow, I was unable to attend,
owing to a command to go to the palace. To my
satisfaction I was subsequently informed that the
plasterers, that is to say, my side, had ultimately come
off victorious.

The police generally attend these battles, but only
to protect the spectators, and not to interfere in any
way with the belligerents. Soldiers are prohibited
from taking any active part in fights which have no
concern for them ; but they may fight as much as ever
they please among themselves during the free period
allowed by the law. The fights of the latter class are
usually very fierce, and are invariably carried out with

THE KING AND STONE-FIGHTS 275

bare chest and arms, that their uniforms may not be
spoiled.

When that dreadful fortnight of fighting is over, the
country again assumes its wonted quiet ; new debts
are contracted, fresh hatreds and jealousies are fo-
mented, and fresh causes are procured for further
stone-battles during the first moon of the next year.

Such is life in Cho-sen, where, with the exception of
those fifteen days, there is calm, too much of it, not
only in the morning, in accordance with the national
designation, but all through both day and night ;
where, month after month, people vegetate, instead of
live, leading the most monotonous of all monotonous
lives. It is not surprising, then, that once a year, as a
kind of redeeming point, they feel the want of a
vigorous re-action ; and, I am sure, for such a purpose
as this, they could not have devised anything wilder or
more exciting than a stone-battle.

The King himself follows with the utmost interest
the results of the important battles fought out between
the different guilds, and reports of the victories ob-
tained are always conveyed to him at once, either by
the leaders of the conquering parties, or through some
high official at Court.

CHAPTER XIX

Fires — ^The greatest peril — A curious way of saving one's house — The
anchor of safety — How it worked — Making an opposition wind —
Saved by chance — A good trait in the native character — Useful
friends.

I WAS one evening at a dinner-party, at one of the
Consulates, when, in the course of the frugal repast,
one of the servants came in with the news that a large
conflagration had broken out in the road of the Big-
bell, and that many houses had already been burnt
down. The " big-bell " itself was said to be in great
danger of being destroyed.

Giving way to my usual curiosity, and thinking that
it would be interesting to see how houses burn in
Cho-sen, I begged of my host to excuse me, left all the
good things on the table, and ran off to the scene of
the fire.

As the servant had announed, the fire was, indeed, in
close proximity to the " big- bell." Two or three large
houses belonging to big merchants were blazing fast,
the neighbouring dwellings being in great danger of
following suit. There is in a Corean house but little
that can burn, except the sliding doors and windows,
and the few articles of furniture and clothing ; so that,
as a general rule, after the first big flare-up, the fire
goes out of its own accord, unless, as was the case in

A FIRE IN SEOUL 277

the present instance, the roofs are supported by old
rafters, which also catch fire. What the Coreans
consider the greatest of dangers in such contingencies
happens when the heavy beam which forms the chief
support for the whole weight of the roof in the centre
catches fire. Then, if any wind happens to be blowing,
sparks fly on all the neighbouring thatched roofs, and
there is no possibility of stopping a disaster. Such
things as fire-engines or pumps are quite unknown in
the country, and, even if there were any, they would
be useless in winter time, owing to the severe cold
which freezes all the water.

On the night in question, that was practically what
happened. Two houses adjoining one another were
burnt out, and, the roofs having crumbled away,
the long thick beams alone were left in position,
supported at either end by the stone walls of the
houses, and still blazing away, and placing the neigh-
bouring houses that had thatched roofs in considerable
danger.

I was much amused at a Corean, the owner of one
of these latter, who, to save his thatched shanty from
the flames, pulled it down. His efforts in this direc-
tion were, however, of no avail in the end ; for the
inflammable materials, having been left in the roadway
in the immediate neighbourhood of the conflagration,
caught fire and were consumed.

The King had been informed of the occurrence, a very
rare one in Seoul, and had immediately dispatched a
hundred soldiers to — look on, and to help, if neces-
sary. Some individuals, too, more enterprising than
the rest, exerted themselves to draw water from the

278 COREA

neighbouring wells ; but, by the time they had returned
to the spot where it was required, it was converted
into one big lump of ice. Finally, recourse was had
to the old Corean method of putting out the fire,
namely, by breaking the beam, not an easy job by any
means, and then, when it had fallen, covering it with
earth.

The soldiers had brought with them — conceive
what ? A ship's anchor ! To this anchor was tied a
long thick rope. Their object was, of course, to fix
the anchor to the burning beam, which being done,
fifty, sixty or more strong men could pull the rope,
and so break the beam in two and cause it to fall.
Well and good ; but where was the warrior to be
found who would volunteer to go up on the summit of
the frail mud-and- stone wall and hook the anchor in
the right place ? The affair now wore a different
aspect altogether, no one being willing to go ; where-
upon the officer in command reprimanded his troops
for their lack of pluck.

Among the soldiers, however, there was one man,
stout and good-natured looking ; and he, being taken
aback apparently by the officer's remarks, at once
asserted that he, at all events, was not lacking in
courage, and would go. For him, accordingly, a
ladder was provided, and up he went, carrying the
anchor on his back. When he reached the last step,
he stopped and, turning to harangue the people, told
them that the beam was a solid one, and that a very
hard pull would be required ; after which, amid the
applause and cheering of the spectators, he balanced
himself on the wall and threw the anchor across the

THE ANCHOR OF SAFETY 279

beam. A body of men, about a hundred strong, then
seized the rope and kept it in tension. Next, in a
commanding tone of voice, our brave hero on the
wall gave the signal to start, when, all of a sudden,
and much sooner than he had expected, with the
vigorous pull the anchor dug a groove in the car-
bonised wood, and, slipping away, caught him in its
barbs across his chest, and dragged him with a
fearful bump on to the road, with a great quantity
of burning straw and wood, amidst which he was
dragged for nearly twenty yards before they were
able to stop.

After this compulsory and unexpected jump, it was
a miracle that he was not killed ; for the height was
over fourteen feet, and the course traversed through
the air over twenty. Notwithstanding this, however,
when he was at length rescued from the grasp which
the anchor kept on him with its benevolent arms,
though considerably shaken, he did not seem much
the worse. Still, being asked to go again and hook
the ungrateful grapnel a second time to the still
burning beam, he declined with thanks and a comical
gesture which sent everybody into screams of
laughter.

After this another man volunteered, and he, being
more cautious in his method of procedure, was success-
ful in his efforts. So much time, however, had been
wasted over these proceedings, that now another house
was burning fast, and by-and-by others also got
attacked.

As ill-luck would have it, the wind rose, to the
great horror of the inhabitants whose houses were to

28o COREA

windward. Many of their abodes had thatched roofs,
and these seemed certain to go. The sparks flew in
abundance across the road, and nothing, except a
change of the wind, could now save those houses.
The simple-minded Coreans, however, attempted a
curious dodge, which I heard afterwards is in general
use under such circumstances. Numerous ladders
having been procured, men and women climbed on to
the roofs which -were in peril. What do you suppose
they intended to do ? I am sure you will never guess.
They went up for no less a purpose than to manufacture
another wind by way of opposition to the strong breeze
that was blowing towards them. Here is how they did
it : they all stood in a row at intervals on the upper
edges of the roofs, and, having previously removed, the
men their coats and the women their cloaks, they
waved these rapidly and violently together, in the full
assurance that they were getting the upper hand in the
contest against the unkind spirits who superintended
gales and breezes. All this went on in the most
ludicrous manner ; and, as soon as one person was
exhausted, he was immediately replaced by another,
prayers at the same time being oflered up to the spirits
as well of the fires as of the wind. The loudness
of these prayers, I may add, grew and decreased in
intensity, according to the aspect which the fire took
from moment to moment ; if a flame rose up higher
than usual, louder prayers were hurriedly offered, and
if the fire at times almost went out, then the spirits
were for the time being left alone.

The conflagration went on for a considerable
number of hours and destroyed several houses. No

A GOOD TRAIT 281

one sustained any serious injury, though one old man,
who was paralytic and deaf, had a very narrow escape.
He had got left, either purposely or by mistake, in one
of the houses. Two out of three of the rooms had
already burnt out, and he was in the third. And yet,
when they had pulled down the outside wall and
brought him safely out, he expressed himself as as-
tonished at being so treated, having neither heard
that any fire was in progress, nor being aware that
two-thirds of his own house had already been
destroyed !

Here again, let me note a good trait in the Corean
character. Whenever, through any unexpected occur-
rence, a man loses his house and furniture, and so gets
reduced from comparative wealth, say, for seldom does
a Corean possess more, to misery and want ; in such
circumstances his friends do not run away from him,
as usually is the case in more civilised countries ; no,
instead of this, they come forward and help him
to re-build his house, lend him clothes and the more
necessary utensils of domestic use, and, generally
speaking, make themselves agreeable and useful all
round, until he can spread out his wings once again,
and fly by himself Thus it is, that when a man's
house has been burnt out it is no uncommon occur-
rence for friends or even strangers to put him up and
feed him in their own homes until he has re-con-
structed his nest. Looking, therefore, at both sides of
the medal, the man of Cho-sen may have a great many
bad qualities from our point of view, yet he also
undoubtedly possesses some virtues on which we who
are supposed to be more civilised and more charitable,

282 COREA

cannot pride ourselves. Believe me, when things
are taken all round, there is after all but little differ-
ence between the Heathen and the Christian ;
nay, the solid charity and generosity of the first is
often superior to the advertised philanthropy of the
other.

CHAPTER XX

A trip to Poo-kan — A curious monastery.

One of the most interesting excursions in the neigh-
bourhood of Seoul, is that to the Poo-kan fortress.
The pleasantest way of making it is to start from the
West Gate of Seoul and proceed thence either on
horseback or on foot, along the Pekin Pass road,
past the artificial cut in the rocks, until a smaller road,
a mere path, is reached, which branches off the main
road and leads directly to the West Gate of the Poo-
kan fortress. This path goes over hilly ground, and
the approaches to the West Gate of the fortress are
exceedingly picturesque.

The gate itself much resembles any of those of
Seoul, only being of smaller proportions. It is, how-
ever, situated in a most lovely spot. As soon as we
have entered, a pretty valley lies disclosed to our eyes,
with rocky mountains surrounding it, the highest peak
of which towers up towards the East. The formation
of these hills is most peculiar and even fantastic. One
of them, the most remarkable of all, is in the shape of
a round dome, and consists of a gigantic semi-spherical
rock.

Following the path, then, which leads from the
West to the South Gate, and which w^inds its way up
steep hills, one comes at last to the temples. These

284 COREA

are probably, the best-preserved and most interesting
in the neighbourhood of the Corean capital. When I .
visited them, the monks were extremely polite and
showed me everything that was of any note. The
temples were in a much better state of preservation
than is usual in the land of Cho-sen, and the ornaments
and paintings on the wooden part under the roof were
in bright colours, as if they had been only recently
restored. There are, near these temples, by the way,
tablets put up in memory of different personages. In
other respects, they were exactly similar to those I
have already described in a previous chapter.

At last, on the left hand side, I came upon the old
palace. As with all the other palaces, so in this case
there are many low buildings for the inferior officials
besides a larger one in the centre, to which the King
can retreat in time of war when the capital is in danger.
The ravages of time, however, have been hard at
work, and this place of safety for the crowned heads
of Corea is now nothing but a mass of ruins. The
roofs of the smaller houses have in most cases fallen
through, owing to the decayed condition of the wooden
rafters, and the main building itself is in a dreadful
state of dilapidation. The ensemble, . nevertheless, as
one stands a little way off and looks at the conglome-
ration of dwellings, is very picturesque ; this effect
being chiefly due, I have little doubt, to the tumble-
down and dirty aspect of ^.he place. As the houses
are built on hilly ground, roof after roof can be seen
with the palace standing above them all in the distance,
while the battlements of the ancient wall form a nice
background to the picture.

A CURIOUS MONASTERY

28:

The most picturesque spot of all, however, is
somewhat farther on, where the rivulet, coming
out of the fortress wall, forms a pretty waterfall.
After climbing a very steep hill, the South Gate
is reached — the distance between it and the West
Gate being about
five miles — and near
it is another smaller
gate, which differs in
shape from all the
other gates in Corea,
for the simple rea-
son that it is not
roofed over. Just
outside the small
South Gate, on the
edge of a precipice,
are constructed
against the rocks a
pretty Httle monas-
tery and a temple.
The access to these
is by a narrow path,
hardly wide enough
for one person to

^ A MONK

walk on without dan-
ger of finding himself rolling down the slope of the rock
at the slightest slip of the foot. The Buddhist priest
must undoubtedly be of a cautious as well as romantic
nature, for otherwise it would be difficult to explain
the fact that he always builds his monasteries in pic-
turesque and impregnable spots, which ensure him

286 COREA

delightful scenery and pure fresh air in time of peace,
combined with utter safety in time of war. In many
ways, the monastery in question reminded me of the
Rock-dwellers. Both temple and monastery were
stuck, as it were, in the rocks, and supported by a
platform and solid wall of masonry built on the steep
incline — a work which must have cost much patience
and time.

The temple is crowded inside with rows of small
images of all descriptions, some dressed In the long
robes and winged hats of the officials, with dignified
and placid expressions on their features ; others, like
fighting warriors, with fierce eyes and a ferocious look
about them ; but all covered with a good coating of
dust and dirt, and all lending themselves as a sporting-
ground to the industrious spider. The latter, disre-
specting the high standing of these imperturbable
deities, had stretched its webs across from nose to
nose, and produced the appearance of a regular field
of sporting operations, bestrewn with the spoils of its
victims, which were lying dead and half eaten in the
webs and on the floor.

The place goes by the name of the ** Temple of the
Five Hundred Images ; " but I think that this number
has been greatly exaggerated, though there certainly
may be as many as two or three hundred.

The most interesting feature about this monastery
is that at the back of the small building where the
priests live is a long, narrow cavern in the rocks, with
the ceiling blackened by smoke. This cavern is about
a hundred feet In length, and at its further end is a
pretty spring of delicious water. A little shrine, in

HOME AGAIN 287

the shape of an altar, with burning joss-sticks and a
few Hghted grease candles, stood near the spring, and
there a priest was offering up prayers, beating a small
gong the while he addressed the deities.

The descent from the temple was very steep and
rough, over a path winding among huge boulders and
rocks for nearly three miles. Then, reaching the
plain, I accomplished the remainder of the distance to
Seoul, over a fairly good road, and on almost level
ground, all the way to the North Gate, by which I
again entered the capital.

CHAPTER XXI

Corean physiognomy — Expressions of pleasure — Displeasure — Con-
tempt— Fear — Pluck — Laughter — Astonishment — Admiration —
Sulkiness — Jealousy — Intelligence — Affection — Imagination —
Dreams — Insanity — Its principal causes — Leprosy — The family —
Men and women — Fecundity — Natural and artificial deformities —
Abnormalities — Movements and attitudes — The Corean hand —
Conservatism.

The physiognomy of the Coreans is an interesting
study, for, with the exception of the Chinese, I know
of few nations who can control the movements of their
features so well as do the Coreans. They are trained
from their infancy to show neither pain, nor pleasure,
grief nor excitement ; so that a wonderful placidity is
always depicted on their faces. None the less, how-
ever, though slightly, different expressions can be
remarked. For instance, an attitude peculiar to them
is to be noticed when they happen to ponder deeply
on any subject ; they then slightly frown, and with a
sudden movement incline the head to the left, after
previously drawing the head backwards. If in good
humour or very pleased, again, though the expression
is still grave and sedate, there is always a vivid sparkle
to be detected in the generally sleepy eyes ; and,
curiously enough, while in our case the corners of the
mouths generally curl up under such circumstances,
theirs, on the contrary, are drawn downwards.

COREAN EXPRESSIONS 289

Where the Coreans — and I might have said all
Asiatics — excel, is in their capacity to show contempt.
They do this in the most gentleman-like manner one
can imagine. They raise the head slowly, looking at
the person they despise with a half-bored, half *' I do
not care a bit " look ; then, leisurely closing the eyes
and opening them again, they tur|i the head away with
a very slight expiration from the nose.

Fear — for those, at least, who cannot control it — is to
all appearance a somewhat stronger emotion. The
eyes are wide open and become staring, the nostrils
are spread wide, and the under lip hangs quivering,
while the neck and body contract, and the hands, with
fingers stiffly bent, are brought up nearly as high as
the head. The yellowish skin on such occasions
generally assumes a cadaverous whitish green colour
which is pitiful to behold.

On the other hand, when pluck is shown, instead of
fear, a man will draw himself up, with his arms down
and hands tightly closed, and his mouth will assume a
placid yet firm expression, the lips being firmly shut
(a thing very unusual with Coreans), and the corners
tending downwards, while a frown becomes clearly
defined upon his brow.

Laughter is seldom indulged in to any very great
extent among the upper classes, who think it un-
dignified to show in a noisy manner the pleasure
which they derive from whatever it may be. Among
the lower specimens of Corean humanity, however,
sudden explosions of merriment are often noticeable.
The Corean enjoys sarcasm, probably more than
anything else in the world ; and caricature delights

290 COREA

him. I remember once drawlno- a caricature of an
official and showing it to a friend of his, who, in con-
sequence, so lost the much-coveted air of dignity, and
went into such fits, that his servants had to come to
his rescue and undo his waist-girdle. This, having
occurred after a hearty meal, led to his being seized by
a violent cough, and becoming subsequently sick.
Were I quite sure of not being murdered by my
readers, I would like to call it ^^^-sickness, for it was
caused by — seeing a joke !

Astonishment is always expressed by a comical
countenance. Let me give you an illustration. When
we anchored at Fusan in the Higo-Maru, many
Coreans came on board to inspect the ship ; and, as I
looked towards the shore with the captain's powerful
long-sight glasses, several natives collected round me
to see what I was doing. I asked one of them to
look through, and never did I see a man more amazed,
than he did, when he saw some one on the shore, with
whom he was acquainted, brought so close to him by
the glasses as to make him inclined to enter into a
very excited conversation with him. His astonish-
ment was even greater when, removing hie eyes from
the lens, he saw everything resume its natural position.
When he had repeated this experiment several times,
he put the glasses down, looked at them curiously
with his eyebrows raised, his mouth pinched, and his
hands spread apart at about the height of his waist,
and then looked at me. Again did he glance at the
optical instrument, with his mouth wide open ; then,
making a comical movement of distrust, he quickly
departed whence he had come. When he had got

ADMIRATION AND SULKINESS 291

fairly into his row-boat, he entered into a most animated
conversation with his fellows, and, judging by his
motions as he put his hands up to his eyes, I could
see that the whole subject was his experience of what
he had seen through the ''foreign devil's" pair of
glasses.

Admiration is to a great extent, a modification
of astonishment, and is by the Coreans expressed
more by utterance than by any very marked expres-
sion of the face. Still, the eyes are opened more than
usual, and the eyebrows are raised, and the lips slightly
parted, sifting the breath, though not quite so loudly
as in Japan.

Another curious Corean expression is to be seen
when the children are sulky. Our little ones generally
protrude their lips in a tubular form, and bend the head
forward, but the Cho-senese child does exactly the re-
verse. He generally throws his head back and hangs
his lips, keeping the mouth open, and making his
frown with the upper part of his face. Jealousy
in the case of the women finds expression in a look
somewhat similar to the above, with an additional
vicious sparkle in the eyes.

Notwithstanding the fact that it is not uncommon to
hear Coreans being classified among barbarians, I must
confess that, taking a liberal view of their constitution,
they always struck me as being extremely intelligent
and quick at acquiring knowledge. To learn a foreign
language seems to them quite an easy task, and when-
ever they take an interest in the subject of their studies
they show a great deal of perseverance and goodwill.
They possess a wonderfully sensible reasoning faculty,

292 COREA

coupled with an amazing quickness of perception ; a
fact which one hardly expects, judging by their looks ;
for, at first sight, they rather impress one as being
sleepy, and dull of comprehension. The Corean is also
gifted with a very good memory, and with a certain
amount of artistic power. Generally speaking, he is of
an affectionate frame of mind, though he considers
it bad form to show by outward sign any such thing as
affection. He almost tends to effeminacy in his thought-
ful attentions to those he likes ; and he generally feels
much hurt, though silently, if his attentions are not
appreciated or returned. For instance, when you
meet a Corean with whom you are acquainted, he in-
variably asks after the health of yourself, and all your
relations and friends. Should you not yourself be as
keen in inquiring after his family and acquaintances,
he would probably be mortally offended.

One of the drawbacks of the Corean mind is that
it is often carried away by an over-vivid imagination.
In this, they reminded me much of the Spaniards and
the Italians. Their perception seems to be so keen that
frequently they see more than really is visible. They
are much given to exaggeration, not only in what they
say, but also in their representations in painting and
sculpture. In the matters both of conversation and
of drawing, the same ideas will be found in Cho-sen
to repeat themselves constantly, more or less cleverly
expressed, according to the differently gifted individu-
ality of the artist. The average Corean seems to learn
things quickly, but of what they learn, some things
remain rooted in their brains, while others appear to
escape from it the moment they have been grasped.

DREAMS 293

There Is a good deal of volubility about their utter-
ances, and, though visibly they do not seem very
subject to strong emotions, judging from their con-
versation, one would feel inclined to say that they
were. Another thing that led me to this suspicion
was the observation that the average Corean is much
given to dreaming, in the course of which he howls,
shouts, talks and shakes himself to his heart's content.
This habit of dreaming is to a large extent due, I
imagine, to their mode of sleeping flat on their backs
on the heated floors, which warm their spines, and act
on their brains ; though it may also, in addition to that
be accounted for by the intensity of the daily emotions
re-acting by night on over-excited nervous systems.
I have often observed Coreans sleep, and they always
impressed me as being extremely restless in their
slumbers. As for snoring, too, the Coreans are en-
titled to the Championship of the world.

The Coreans are much affected mentally by dreams,
and being, as we have already seen, an extremely
superstitious race, they attach great importance to their
nocturnal visions. A good deal of hard cash is spent in
getting the advice of astrologers, who pretend to
understand and explain the occult art, and pleasure or
consternation is thus usually the result of what might
have been explained naturally either by one of the
above-named causes, or by the victim having feasted
the previous evening on something indigestible.
Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the
Corean mind is seldom thrown off its balance
altogether. Idiocy is not frequent, and lunacy is un-
common.

2 94 COREA

Insanity, when it does exist, generally exhibits
itself under the form of melancholia and dementia, and
is more frequently found among the upper than among
the lower classes. With the men it is generally due
to intemperance and excesses, and is occasionally
accompanied by paralysis. Among the women, the
only cases which came under my notice were of wives
whose husbands had many concubines, and of young
widows. Suicide is not unfrequently practised among
the latter ; partly in consequence of the strict Corean
etiquette, but often also caused by insanity when it
does not follow immediately upon the husband's
death. Another cause of melancholia — chiefly, how-
ever, among the lower classes — is a dreadful complaint,
which has found its way among the natives in its most
repulsive form. Many are affected by it, and no cure
for it seems to have been devised by the indigenous
doctors. The accounts one hears in the country of its
ravages are too revolting to be repeated in these
pages, and I shall limit myself to this. Certain forms of
insanity are undoubtedly a common sequence to it.

Leprosy also prevails in Cho-sen, and in the more
serious cases seems to affect the brain, producing
idiocy. This disease is caused by poverty of blood,
and is, of course, hereditary. I have seen two forms
of it in Cho-sen ; in the one case, the skin turns
perfectly white, almost shining like satin, while in the
other — a worse kind, I believe — the skin is a mass of
brown sores, and the flesh is almost entirely rotted
away from the bones. The Coreans have no hospitals
or asylums in which evils like these can be properly
tended. Those affected with insanity are generally

FECUNDITY 295

looked after by their own families, and, if considered
dangerous, are usually chained up in rooms, either by
a riveted iron bracelet, fastened to a short heavy
chain, or, more frequently, by an anklet over the right
foot.

Families in Corea are generally small in number. I
have no exact statistics at hand, for none were obtain-
able ; but, so far as I could judge from observation,
the males and females in the population are about
equal in number. If anything, the women slightly pre-
ponderate. The average family seldom includes more
than two children. The death-rate of Cho-sen infants
is great, and many reasons can account for the fact.
In the first place, all children in Corea, even the
stronger ones who survive, are extremely delicate until
a certain age is attained, when they seem to pick up
and become stronger. This weakness is hereditary,
especially among the upper classes, of whom very few
powerful men are to be found, owing to their dissolute
and effeminate life.

Absolute sterility in women is not an uncommon
phenomenon, and want of virile power in the male part
of the community is also often the subject of com-
plaint ; many quaint drugs and methods being
adopted to make up for the want of it, and to stimulate
the sexual desire, A good many of the remedies re-
sorted to by the Corean noblemen under such circum-
stances are of Chinese manufacture and importation.
Certain parts of the tiger, dried and reduced to
powder, are credited with the possession of wonderful
strengthening qualities, and fetch large sums. Some
parts of the donkey, also, when the animal is killed

296 COREA

during the spring and under special circumstances, are
equally appreciated. The lower classes of Cho-sen —
as is the case in most countries— are more prolific than
the upper ones. The parents are both healthier and
more robust, and the children in consequence are
stronger and more numerous, but even among these
classes large families are seldom or never found.
Taken as a whole, the population of Corea is, I
believe, a slowly decreasing quantity.

The Corean is in some respects very sensible, if
compared with his neighbours. Deformities, artificially
produced, are never found in Corea. In civilised
Japan, on the other hand, as we all know, the women
blacken their teeth and shave their eyebrows, while
there are numberless people in the lower classes who
are tattooed from head to foot with designs of all kinds.
In China, too, people are occasionally deformed for
the sake of lucre, as, for instance, to be exhibited at
village shows, and the Chinese damsel would not
consider herself fascinating enough if her feet were
not distorted to such an extent as to be shapeless, and
almost useless. The head-bands worn by the men in
Corea are probably the only causes which tend to
modify the shape of their heads, and that only to a
very small degree. These head-bands are worn so
very tightly from their earliest youth, that I have
often noticed men — when the head-band was removed
— show a certain flattening of the upper part of the
forehead, due undoubtedly to the continuous pressure
of this head-gear. In such cases, however, the
cranial deformation — though always noticeable — is but
slight, and, of course, unintentionally caused. The

DEFORMITIES AND ABNORMALITIES 297

skull, as a whole, in the case of those who have worn
the head-band Is a little more elongated than it is In
the case of those few who have not ; the elongation
being upwards and slightly backwards.

Natural abnormalities are more frequent. I have
seen numerous cases of goitre, and very often the so-
called hare-lip. Webbed fingers also are frequently
noticed ; while inguinal hernia, both as a congenital
and as an acquired affection, is unfortunately all too
common. The natives do not undergo any special
treatment until the complaint assumes alarming propor-
tions, when a kind of belt is worn, or bandages of
home manufacture are used. These are the more
common abnormalities. To them, however, might
also be added manifestations of albinism — though I
have never seen an absolute albino in Corea — such as,
large patches of white hair among the black. Red
hair is rarely seen.

The Corean, apart, that is, from these occasional
defects, Is well proportioned, and of good carriage.
When he stands erect his body is well-balanced ; and
when he walks, though somewhat hampered by his
padded clothes, his step is rational. He sensibly
walks with his toes turned slightly In, and he takes
firm and long strides. The gait is not energetic, but,
nevertheless, the Coreans are excellent pedestrians,
and cover long distances daily, If only they are allowed
plenty to eat and permission to smoke their long pipes
from time to time. Their bodies seem very supple,
and like those of nearly all Asiatics, their attitudes are
invariably graceful. In walking, they slightly swing
their arms and bend their bodies forward, except, I

298 COREA

should say, the high officials, whose steps are exag-
geratedly marked, and whose bodies are kept upright
and purposely stiff.

One of the things which will not fail to impress a
careful observer is the beauty of the Corean hand.
The generality of Europeans possess bad hands, from
an artistic point of view, but the average Corean, even
among the lower classes, has them exceedingly well-
shaped, with long supple fingers, somewhat pointed at
the ends ; and nails well formed and prettily shaped,
though to British ideas, grown far too long. It is not
a powerful hand, mind you, but it is certainly most
artistic ; and, further, it is attached to a small wrist in
the most graceful way, never looking stumpy, as so
often is the case with many of us. The Coreans
attach much importance to their hands ; much more,
indeed, than they do to their faces ; and special atten-
tion is paid to the growth of the nails. In summer
time these are kept very clean ; but in winter, the
water being very cold, the cleanliness of their limbs,
** laisse un peu a desirerT I have frequently seen
a beautifully-shaped hand utterly spoilt by the nails
being lined with black, and the knuckles being as filthy
as if they had never been dipped in water. But these
are only lesser native failings ; and have we not all our
faults ?

The two qualities I most admired in the Corean
were his scepticism and his conservatism. He seemed
to take life as it came, and never worried much about
it. He had, too, practically no religion and no morals.
He cared about little, had an instinctive attachment for
ancestral habits, and showed a thorough dislike to

COREAN CONSERVATISM 299

change and reform. And this was not so much as
regards matters of State and religion, for little or
nothing does the Corean care about either of these, as
in respect of the daily proceedings of life. To the
foreign observer, many of his ways and customs are at
first sight incomprehensible, and even reprehensible ;
yet, when by chance his mode of arguing out matters
for himself is clearly understood, we will almost invari-
ably find that he is correct. After all, every one,
whether barbarian or otherwise, knows best himself
how to please himself. The poor harmless Corean,
however, is not allowed that privilege. He, as if by
sarcasm, calls his country by the retiring name of the
'* Hermit Realm " and the more poetic one of the
'* Land of the Morning Calm"; '*a coveted calm"
indeed, which has been a dream to the country, but
never a reality, while, as for its hermit life, it has been
only too often troubled by objectionable visitors whom
he detests, yet whom, nevertheless, he is bound to
receive with open arms, helpless as he is to resist
them.

Poor Corea ! Bad as its Government was and is, it
is heart-rending to any one who knows the country, and
its peaceful, good-natured people, to see it overrun and
impoverished by foreign marauders. Until the other
day, she was at rest, heard of by few, and practically
forgotten by everybody, to all intents an independent
kingdom, since China had not for many years exercised
her rights of suzerainty, ^ when, to satisfy the ambition

* After a cessation of many years a tribute was again exacted from
Corea in 1890, in consequence of overtures being made to Corea by
Japan, which displeased China.

300 COREA

of a childish nation, she suddenly finds herself at the
mercy of everybody, and with a dark and most disas-
trous future before her !

Poor Corea ! A sad day has come for you ! You,
who were so attractive, because so quaint and so retir-
ing, will nevermore see that calm which has ever been
the yearning of your patriot sons ! Many evils are
now before you, but, of all the great calamities that
might befall you, I can conceive of none greater than
an attempt to convert you into a civilised nation !

INDEX

Abnormalities, 297
Adoption of Children, 86
Adultery, 159
Alphabet, 206
Astronomers, 209
Archery, 197
Army instructors, 174
Aryan, 45

B

Bachelors, 48
Beggars, 93
Beverages, 143
Big Bell, 42, 108
Body-snatching, 9-15
Bonzes, 216, 227, 285
Bridges, 125

„ (crossing the), 109
Buddha, 125, 223
Buddhism, 216
Burial ground, 119

C

Cereals, 42

Chang, 211

Charity, 281

Chemulpo, 17, 20, 25, 32

Children. 78

Chinese Customs Service, 5

Chinese invasions, 28-30

Chinese settlement, 24, 26
Cho-sen, 30, 31
City wall, 117, 124, 259
Clans, 79

Classes and castes, 45
Clothes, 53-60
Compradores, 26
Concubines, 154, 159
Conflagrations, 276
Confucianism, 232
Conservatism, 298
Consulate (British), 129

,, (German), 90, 129

CooUes, 39, 50, 104
Corea (the word), 27-31
Cotton production, 7-9
Crucifixion, 248
Cultivation, 7
Currency, 38

D

Decorations, 50
Deformities, 296
Divorce, i55» i59
Documents, 156, 208
Dragons, 115
Drainage, 149
Dreams, 294

E

Education, 210
Eunuchs, 97

302 INDEX

Evil spirits, 97, 118
Examinations, 205, 209
Executions, 246-257
Exile, 242

Exorcisms, 102, 222
Expressions, 288-292
Expression after Death, 257

Falcons, 196
Families, 81, 295
Features, 47
Feron (I'Abbe), 11-12
Fights, 267, 275

,, (Stone-), 270
Filial love, 120
Fire-signals, 126,
Floggings, 238
Food, 142
Foreigners, 26
Free nights for men, no
Funerals, 118
Furniture, 140
Fusan, 4-7
Fuyn race, 28, 46

G

Games, 89

Gardens, 137

Gates (City), 117, 124

Gate of the Dead, 118, 250, 258

Ghosts, 97

Girls, 86

Gods (minor), 224

Graves, 13, 120, 225

Greathouse (Clarence R.), 2, 4, 90,

165, 212
Guechas or Geishas, 21, 75
Guilds, 241

H

Hair-dressing, 48, 49, 65, 157
Hanabusa, 20

Hands, 298

Han River, 42

Haunted palaces, 96, 212

Head-gear, 50, 193, 204, 232, 263

Hiaksai, 29, 31

Hospitality, 80

Hotels, 17, 43

Houses, 136

House-warming, 139

Illumination (Modes of), 148
Inns, 44, 91
Intelligence, 211

Japanese, 20, 21, 26

,, settlements, 5, 6, 129

Jinrickshas, 33
Joss-houses, 128

K

Kim-Ka-chim, 194
King, 190, 191, 261
Kite-flying, 83
Kitchen, 142
Kiung-sang, 6
Korai, 27, 46
Kung-wo, 29

Language, 209

Lanterns, 257

Law, 241

Legations (American, Chinese,

Japanese, Russian), 129
Le Gendre (General), 165
Leopards, 99
Leprosy, 93, 294
Lin, 115
Lunacy, 293

INDEX

303

M

Mafu, 42

Maki, 6

Man of the Gates, The, 134

Mapu, 35, 293

Marks, 156

Marriages, 151

Married Men, 49

Mats, 138, 181

Messengers, 193

Metempsychosis, 120

Mile posts, 34

Min-san-ho, 165

Min-Young-Chun, 166

Min-Young-Huan, 166

Missionaries, 11, 30, 129

Monasteries, 125, 223, 226, 285

MongoHan type, 45

Mono-wheeled chair, 10 6

Mourning, 48

Mulberry plantation, 97

Music, 76

N
Names, 88

„ (women's), 66
Nanzam (Mount), 125, 222
New Year's festivities, 22
Nunneries, 223, 230

O

Offerings, 231
Oppert, 10, II
Oxen, 37

P
Pagoda, hi
Phoenix, 114, 117
Palaces, 98, 284
Palace (Royal), 105, 108, 183
„ (Summer), 185

Palanquins, 104, 106, 265
Paternal love, 254
Pekin Pass, 105, 132
Physiognomy, 288
Pipes, 56

Plank-walk (The), 236
Pockets, 55, 174
Police, 235
Politics, 194
Ponies, 34, 36
Poo-kan, 283
Port Hamilton, 15
Prayer- Books, 226
Procession (King's), 261, 264
Proverbs, 208

Punishments, 154, 159, 236-254,
263

Queen (The), 162, 191, 199

R

Religion, 216

Respect for the Old, 191

Rice, 145

Roads, 32

Rosary, 228

Royal Family, 46

Russian villa, 184

Sacred Trees, 219
Sacrifices, 217
Saddles, 35, 265
Satsuma ware,]i4i
Scenery, 33
Scepticism, 298
Schools, 209

Sea-lions or tigers, 105, 115
Sedan-chairs, 33
Self-denial, 142

304

INDEX

Seoul, 42

Seradin Sabatin (Mr.), go, 184

Serfdom, 244

Shamanism, 217

Shinra, 29, 31

Shoes, 55

Shops, 92.

Singers, 163

Smoke signals, 127

Snakes, 114

Soldiers, 173, 262, 264

Sorcerers, 221

Spectacles, 58

Spinning-tops, 82

Spirits, 218

Spirits of the mountains, 218

Square-board (The), 237

Sterility, 295

Stone-heaps, 219

Streets, 104, 108, 149, 262

Students, 204,

Studies, 87

Suicides, 68

Sunto, 7, 30

Tailors, 53
Tai-wen-kun, 12

Telephones, 122

Temples, 125, 223, 226, 227, 283,

285
Throne, 186, 193
Tide, 15

Tigers, 66, 112, 214
Tooth-stone, 232
Tortoise, 112, 113
Toys, 83

U

Umbrella hat, 53, 264

W

Wang, 7, 29
Washing clothes, 73
Water-coolies, 133
Wedding ceremony, 155
Widows, 158
Wind-making, 280
Wives, 158
Women, 59
Women's looks, 63
Women's rights, 65-67
Wuju kingdom, 28

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